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Chiefs wanted Manyama in 2013

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Bobby Motaung and Lebogang Manyama

Lebogang Manyama could have been a Kaizer Chiefs player five years ago according to the club’s football manager Bobby Motaung.

Amakhosi sent shockwaves around the South African football fraternity when they snapped up the former PSL Footballer of the Year on a three-year deal, beating off reported competition from Cape Town City and Mamelodi Sundowns.

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The 27-year-old arrives at arguably the perfect time, with Chiefs in desperate need of a goalscoring attacking midfielder, but the former Cape Town City man could have worn the famous black-and-gold clad of the Amakosi in December 2013 when a move to the club was said to be imminent from Ajax Cape Town.

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‘The club presented an offer to the player through his agent following the agreement reached by the two clubs for the move to take place,’ Amakhosi claimed on their website at the time.

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‘After a series of negotiations, the agent informed Chiefs that the player will be moving overseas at the end of the 2013/14 PSL season,’ the statement back then read.

According to Motaung, the former Konyaspor man was poised for a move to Chiefs under then coach Stuart Baxter, however, the move did not materialise with the player’s agent Maimane Phiri reportedly snubbing the offer made by the club.

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‘This player was supposed to join us as far back as when he was at Ajax Cape Town, when Stuart Baxter was here,’ Motaung told IOL.

‘We had agreed on everything when his agent disappeared and the player turned out at SuperSport United. I don’t want to mention people’s names but things were not done above board this time.

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‘We know that he has always wanted to be here but of course, that didn’t happen. He has come back from Turkey now and brings a lot of experience and quality to our team, which is something we have always emphasised given the pressure we are under.

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‘It is still a process and we are looking at signing two or more players. We told the coach that we can’t sign players at the same time because we also need his input.

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‘He remembers Manyama from when he coached Free State Stars and he is excited that this is a player that will bring quality and value,’ he concluded.