Chiefs the biggest losers as Sundowns snap up PSL marquee signing of January transfer window

Cape Town — The prodigious Teboho Mokoena has undoubtedly been the marquee signing of the Premier Soccer League's January transfer window.

The SuperSport United kingpin Mokoena, arguably the hottest property in the PSL, was nearing the end of his contract, and the January transfer window presented his club with a lucrative opportunity to fill their coffers. Losing their best player can never be easy, and for this reason, many clubs have a love-hate relationship with the January transfer market.

Anderlecht, the crack Belgian club, were among the early European-based suitors before Kaizer Chiefs joined the fray. For a few weeks, there was a good old-fashioned tug of war between Chiefs and Sundowns. However, given their financial backing, Sundowns left Chiefs and other interested buyers floundering in their slipstream.

The AmaKhosi faithful would have been bitterly disappointed that their team lost out on Mokoena's services. His acquisition would have been the icing on the walk after Chiefs extended the contracts of seven of their most promising players.

Stan Matthews, the SuperSport United supremo, said Mokoena was given a chance to air his feelings on a transfer move. Matthews said the club was sad to lose Mokoena, but with the move to crosstown rivals, he has earned himself a big move to a great club.

The 25-year-old Mokoena was elated to join Sundowns, and he told the club's media department on Tuesday that he was overwhelmed by the quality of the club's squad.

Apart from the quality, the level of depth, especially in the midfield, is ridiculous given the plethora of big-name players, Mokoena will be sharing the midfield space with talents like Andile Jali, Rivaldo Coetzee, Neo Maema, Themba Zwane, newcomer Bradley