SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt is not entirely pleased with the club’s level of recruiting in the transfer market, as he is still looking to add more faces ahead of the start of the 2024/25 league season.
Matsatsantsa A Pitori parted ways with over a dozen players, with youngster Shandre Campbell and Kegan Johannes being the most noticeable departures, while former captain Onismor Bhasera no longer occupies a playing role at the club.
Meanwhile, highly-rated defender Ime Okon’s future at the club hangs in the balance, and Hunt is already nose-deep in the market to look for a replacement.
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“It is frustrating for me because it has all been in the air for me but nothing is happening. We are still one or two players short. So hopefully we can try and do some business. Sometimes signing players is about timing,” Hunt said.
“With Kegan going out, bringing in another full-back was a smooth transition and we were lucky in bringing Pogiso Sanoka in. Obviously, Ime is going out to Belgium, so hopefully whoever comes can fit it. It is frustrating and when you work at certain clubs it is always going to be frustrating.
“You can never be happy with the squad. If you are happy with the squad I think you are lying. You always want to improve and get better. We have lost a lot of players, and now it is another rebuild, with 13 players having left. But we brought some experience in and it is not too much hana-hana in training, it is quite quick,” the United mentor added.
One thing that puts a smile on Hunt’s face is the availability of goalkeeper Ricardo Goss. The goal-minder is on loan for the third successive season at United, and the difference this time around is that he will be able to feature against his parent club.
“The one good thing about the deal is that he can play against Mamelodi Sundowns, which was not the case in the last few years. He has missed five to six games against them in the past two years.
“It is disrupting but now he can play and that was a big part of the deal and with Kegan going there. I was not involved in the whole thing but I was in the background,” Hunt explained.
The Spartans are locked in pre-season again after they were booted out of the MTN8 by defending champions Orlando Pirates, and Hunt will now sharpen the saw in anticipation of the Tshwane derby against defending champions Sundowns.
The capital city rivals will kick off the 2024/25 league season on September 14 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
