Aubrey Modiba (Gallo Images)
- SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews says he’s been preparing for life after Aubrey Modiba.
- Mamelodi Sundowns’ relentless pursuit of the winger appears to have paid off.
- Modiba signed a four-year extension to stay at SuperSport United in January but the Covid-19 effects could see him switch allegiance.
SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews conceded that they will have to sell prized winger Aubrey Modiba, most likely to his most aggressive pursuers Mamelodi Sundowns.
It’s been an open secret that Sundowns have coveted Modiba’s signature for a couple of years but switching the pacey 25-year-old from blue to yellow has been difficult.
That could be coming to an end. Matthews told the South African Football Journalists’ Association (Safja) that the Covid-19 effects could twist their arm into selling and that Sundowns had already tabled an offer.
“When you narrow down to what kind of players you could sell, to be fair, it’s going to come down to Aubrey Modiba,” Matthews said on Wednesday.
“He’s the one who’s been linked with the most moves and the one Sundowns have been pursuing the most. He would be the player we are looking to make a big sale with in the next transfer window.
“He’s our main kingpin if we’re going to sell. Sundowns have never stopped showing interest in Aubrey and we are at a point where they’ve tabled a very good offer for us.
“He’s been with us for a good period of time since he came from Cape Town City and he’s given us good service and trophies.
“[Selling] a player like him would be the most sensible in that already I have on the wing (Kudakwashe) Mahachi and (Evans) Rusike on one side and (Guilly) Manziba and (Ghampani) Lungu on the other.
“To be blunt, I had geared up to sell Aubrey. I only brought Manziba in because I was anticipating that Aubrey was going to be sold the first time around. When that deal fell through, I was over-resourced; I was sitting with seven wingers.”
In January, Modiba signed a four-year contract extension with Matsatsantsa, which hiked his price tag reportedly to R20 million.
And despite admitting that they could be forced to let Modiba go – likely along with centre forward Bradley Grobler, who has been courted by Orlando Pirates – Matthews said they would need to weigh up how the season would develop for the Pretoria outfit before letting players leave.
United are currently fourth on the Absa Premiership log, with a realistic chance of finishing as high as the top two, depending on how the remaining “bio-bubble” games go.
“I want to be clear, I don’t wan to sell any players,” he said.
“My board know that I’m particularly painful in wanting to bring players in and not wanting to let players go. But the reality of my situation is that I’m going to have to let go.
“In that situation you have to look in your squad and say, ‘Where will I feel the least pain from a continuity perspective and depth?’. For example, I can say I could sell Ronwen Williams but is that what I want to do? He’s my captain and how can I replace him? So, those types of players are not for sale.
“We have a few of those in the club at the moment. Certainly the Olympic trio that we want to release to global football … a player like Teboho Mokoena is going to play at the highest level in Europe. It’s not a matter of it but when.
“We’ve been inspired by Percy Tau, Bongani Zungu, Kamohelo Mokotjo and by other players like that who have played in Europe at the highest level. We know that Teboho will take his place among them.
“But we’ve taken a view that given the situation, with six games left, we don’t know what the situation is going to be. We could very well finish third and we’ve got Africa next year. That also has an impact on our decisions.
“There’s still water to flow under the bridge this year; it’s not a case of being in the transfer window. I’m not in the window now. There’s six games left and I’ve got to get the best out of my assets.”
