Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker expressed his joy at being able to retain key players Jayden Adams and Fawaaz Basadien amid strong transfer interest from Gauteng big spending clubs.
The duo had been linked with moves to prominent teams, with Adams reportedly targeted by Mamelodi Sundowns and Basadien by Kaizer Chiefs.
Despite losing influential players like Iqraam Rayners to Sundowns and Deano van Rooyen to Orlando Pirates, Barker’s club managed to fend off bids and convince both Adams and Basadien to stay.
Following Stellies’ impressive 3-0 win over Cape Town City in the Cape Town derby, Barker was particularly pleased to still have Adams and Basadien in his squad as the club prepares for a demanding season across five competitions the MTN8 final, Betway Premiership, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, and CAF Confederations Cup.
“We’ve been under a lot of pressure with Fawaaz Basadien and Jayden Adams,” Barker said.
“But we should not be in a position to lose more than what we had in terms of Deano and Iqraam—two big players leaving the club.
“So, we’ve done well to keep Fawaaz and Jayden they showed the reason why we didn’t want to let them go.
“We believe that we can be as competitive as any team in the league.
“It was important for us to hold on to them and it’s great.”
The Cape Town-based outfit is currently preparing to face Pirates in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday kickoff is at 18:00.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝? 😳
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) September 25, 2024
Basadien scores from his OWN HALF 🔥@Betway_za
📺 Stream #BetwayPrem on DStv: https://t.co/B0jLrQW5cc pic.twitter.com/MdsDBixXNz
