The PSL transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday, 31 August 2021, and almost every team signed new players for the current season.
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However, some teams did better than others in the transfer market, and for that reason, The South African looks at who the winners and losers are.
Interestingly, all three Soweto-based clubs made some great signings, and they can be considered among the winners of this transfer window.
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A number of top players who either failed to secure moves away from their current clubs or didn’t find new homes are among the losers.
WINNERS
Kaizer Chiefs
As expected, Amakhosi did some real business this season after failing to do so for two transfer windows due to the FIFA ban.
What makes Chiefs the winners is the fact that they bolstered their squad with quality players such as Njabulo Ngcobo, Keagan Dolly, Sibusiso Mabiliso and Brandon Petersen among others.
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In fact, they reinforced almost every department on the pitch which is something that the majority of their fans wanted.
And while they didn’t sign a quality striker as anticipated by a section of their fans, Chiefs still managed to hold on to Samir Nurkovic.
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This in addition to renewing the contracts of several of their star players such as Itumeleng Khune, Khama Billiat, and Lebogang Manyama.
Mamelodi Sundowns
The Brazilians brought in a number of exciting signings in an attempt to refresh their aging squad.
Thabiso Kutumela, Neo Maema, Sifiso Ngobeni, Grant Kekana and Pavol Safranko are among the six new signings made by Sundowns.
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They may have failed to sign Teboho Mokoena, Ronwen Williams and Sipho Mbule but Sundowns still have enough depth in their squad.
Orlando Pirates
The Buccaneers lost Josef Zinnbauer two games into the season, but they had already bolstered their technical team with the acquisition of Mandla Ncikazi.
Pirates also added a few new players, including Kwame Peprah, Goodman Mosele, Kwanda Mngonyama and Olisa Ndah among others.
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However, what would excite their fans the most is the fact that there’s a new striker in Peprah while they now have two new centre-backs in Mngonyama and Ndah.
SuperSport United
Matsatsantsa didn’t make any high-profile signings but they still did well in holding on to three of their star players.
Mokoena, Williams and Mbule didn’t move to any of SuperSport’s rivals, and for that, the club should be commended for standing their ground.
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Chiefs and Sundowns were keen on signing the trio so much so that, at times, the pressure looked too much to bear on SuperSport.
LOSERS
Samir Nurkovic
Nurkovic looked set to leave Chiefs this past transfer window as reports of him being a wanted man in North Africa continue to make headlines.
Al Ahly and Pyramids were reported to be the frontrunners for the services of Nurkovic, who appeared disinterested in staying at Chiefs in his first few matches.
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Chiefs were reported to be looking for anything between R22-30 million for any team interested in Nurkovic.
But nothing came forth, and for that reason, Nurkovic can be considered as one of the biggest losers in this transfer window.
Tiyani Mabunda
Mabunda is also one of the biggest losers after being forced to retire early from playing due to the direction Sundowns are taking.
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The 33-year-old was certainly not ready to hang up his boots but he had to consider his future, especially the financial part of it when Sundowns offered him the role of Ambassador at the club.
It’s probably one of the most emotional decisions Mabunda had to make in his entire football career.
