Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen says Erick Mathoho not joining Kaizer Chiefs
Larsen: Mathoho not joining Chiefs
Posted: 2012-01-18 07:08
Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen has laughed off speculation that defender Erick 'Tower' Mathoho will be joining Kaizer Chiefs.
Rather, Larsen hinted that should the player make any move at all, it would be to an overseas club – and not to any PSL clubs.
"Everybody has been asking me whether 'Tower' would be joining Chiefs. I told them that he was staying put here at Celtic. He is going nowhere as he has just extended his contract by another three years. It will expire in 2014," Larsen tells KickOff.com.
"If it happens that we sell him in the future, it would be to an overseas club. We will not release him to a PSL team. We are trying to build a strong squad for the future that will make our supporters proud. So we cannot afford to lose our best players to local sides. 'Tower' is one of the best defenders in the country, no wonder he has attracted interest from Dutch giants FC Twente.
"No. I'm not aware of any interest from Chiefs. I have only read about it in the media "
- Clinton Larsen
"He has also been consistently winning Man-of-the-Match awards and that shows that he really is a quality player. And of course, he is a member of the national Under-23 squad and has often been called-up to the Bafana Bafana fold. He is the future of the club," Larsen says.
Asked whether any negotiations were going on between Celtic and Chiefs regarding the transfer of Mathoho, Larsen says: "No. I'm not aware of any interest from Chiefs. I have only read about it in the media. We are not talking to anybody regarding this matter. The only negotiations we are currently busy with are for a few players we are looking to lure to the club before the January transfer window period closes.
"We have recently brought in a striker (Ransford Osei) from Ghana. He comes highly recommended. He has played for highly-rated sides like Maccabi Haifa and FC Twente. His experience will be beneficial to the club as we begin the second round of the season next month," he explains.
"There are two more players that we want to sign. But I cannot divulge their names now, because we are still negotiating with their respective clubs. All I can say now is that they are wide and central midfielders. We are hoping to conclude the deals soon. But if we are unable to get those players, we shall carry on with what we have," he adds.
Meanwhile, Celtic players regrouped on Monday to prepare for the next round of the League campaign after having spent four weeks on holiday. They will resume their campaign with tough encounters against Golden Arrows (home, February 15), Black Leopards (away, February 22) and Platinum Stars (home, February 26).
"Our aim is to get off the second round with a flying start, collecting a maximum of nine points from our opening three matches. We want to improve our team, do better than we did in the first round and collect more points." Larsen adds.



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