‘One club holds all the trump cards,’ Baxter says of transfer market

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter believes that “one team has all the trump cards” in the transfer market and that Amakhosi will have to be more inventive in how they go about signing up new players. 

Baxter was clearly referring to Mamelodi Sundowns’ bottomless wallet and dominance in the SA player market.

Baxter also admitted he might have liked to make a quality signing or two in the January transfer window.

Sundowns made three good signings in the January window — Teboho Mokoena, Bradley Ralani and Bolivian midfielder Erwin Saavedra.

Chiefs fans have again questioned the club’s ambition compared to four-time successive Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions Sundowns, with Amakhosi announcing renewals of contracts but no signings.  

Baxter defended Chiefs’ signing policy. “I think it’s easy to have these perceptions given what’s gone on, so I can’t say I don’t understand what the supporters are feeling,” he said.

“But I can assure them there’s a lot more that goes on in terms of targeting people, getting knocked back, realising that in the open market there’s one club that holds all the trump cards.

“If we’re interested in a player who they’re interested in, pretty much the chance is he’s going to go there.

“We’ve got to be smart in our recruitment. We’ve tried to do that. Probably with what’s been available to us we’ve worked out that at this moment it won’t fill that gap between us and Sundowns.”

Pressed on whether he is satisfied with Chiefs’ transfer window, Baxter admitted he might have liked a high-profile signing or two.

“If you’d have said would it have been nice to get Teboho Mokoena in, yeah, it would have been nice,” he said.

“I believe our squad is developing and some of the individuals are developing. But you could always use the injection of a player. That has a price and is it better than what you have and is it worth what you pay for?

“I get that the supporters enjoy that. If you watch what’s happening in the English Premier League, there are people crucifying their clubs because they didn’t spend money.

“I don’t want to get to that, but I understand the supporters.”

Chiefs return from the Christmas and Africa Cup of Nations break with their Nedbank Cup last-32 clash against TS Galaxy at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on February 12.