Moroka Swallows have promised to be leaner and meaner when the Premier Soccer League season kicks-off in August.
The Birds have axed 14 players and signed three newcomers in the off-season.
Said Birds assistant coach Zeca Marques: “We were too top heavy last season and we have now skimmed the fat and we are going to have a leaner and meaner look about us when we start the new season.
“At present we have a squad of 23 which is much more manageable than the 36 players we had last season.”
Marques said the goal this term was for the Birds to finish in the top four after finishing eighth last season.
“In my book we have a better squad for the new season. It is difficult having a big squad of 36 players and ideally we should
have 24 players to work with.”
Marques said negotiations surrounding the sale of the club following the death of owner Dieter Bock recently had not affected
the players or technical team.
“It is business as usual for the coaching staff. Our head coach, Rainer Zobel, myself and the rest of the coaching staff are staying with the club as we believe in the group of players we have and the potential we have at Swallows. We know we can improve on last season.”
German-born Rainer was thrown into the deep end when he took charge at the start of the PSL programme last season without having worked with the players during the pre-season.
Rainer knows what to expect now and the tough disciplinarian is determined to knock Swallows into one of the top contenders this season.
The newcomers in the Birds nest are Georgian midfielder Giorgi Nergadze, Zimbabwean midfielder Oscar Machapa and South African-born central defender Roger da Costa.
“Nergadze is solid and will be a big asset in the midfield and Machapa is an exciting prospect.
“He could turn out to be a revelation this season while Da Costa gained experience of playing in the United States while studying
there. All three players are top notch and will make their mark in the PSL in the coming months.”
Zobel seems content with the composition of his squad but Marques said he felt Swallows needed two more quality players. “In
my opinion we could use another top class striker and an attacking midfielder or a midfielder who can play on the left side of the engineroom.
“But now we have trimmed the squad and brought in three quality signings, so we are happy with the way pre-season training is progressing and look forward to a successful season.”
Swallows are also still chasing the signature of Mamelodi Sundowns hard working midfielder Gareth Ncaca.
Included in the players released are veteran striker David Radebe, the Brazilian quartet of Davi Rancan, Vinicius da Silva, Elton Morelato and Igor Alves, plus local born defenders Gordon Gilbert, Fabian McCarthy, Brent Geyer, Edward Malinga, while promising South African under-20 star, Sibusiso Khumalo, has joined Sundowns. — Sapa