Question marks over clubs' scouting process
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday November 6, 2020 14:04
Obradovic has proven to be a journeyman, as Popa becomes his 10th elite club since 2010.
Despite the 33-year-old’s impressive CV, questions arose if Popa need another central defender.
The team is fully equipped in that position, which in the last season was contested for by captain Simisane Mathumo, Arnold Mampori, Kaone van der Westhuizen, Ofentse Nato while Popa have since re-signed Zebras defender Mosha Gaolaolwe.
This leaves the team with six players competing for a starting central defensive pair on a match day.
Keeping tabs on recent transfer activity, local football analyst, Baboloki Mokete is not impressed by the local clubs’ recruitment process. He said scouting across the teams has been below par, as clubs occasionally do not go for what they actually need in the team. He also said the type of personnel recruited also leaves a lot to be desired. He said it is high time teams go for national team players as they can add value to the sides and the league is general.
“For me scouting is in two ways, one you scout a player outside simply because you cannot find the talent locally.
Two, you see the immense talent the player has, a player that can come to the team and contribute if he is not better than the locals that the team has then why bring them here. We have seen some of these players coming in just to warm the bench and that says a lot about the clubs’ scouting.”
“When you scout a player, expectations are that he should at least be a national team player, we should be seeing them playing in the national team. Don’t just bring a player to come here and warm the bench. He should add contribution to the team and players around him.
If you look at the players brought by Rollers, a defender and we do not know anything about. He is not a national team player and his age says a lot. We should scout for 17-year-olds and they should be junior national team players. “If they are over 23 they should be competing for places in the national team. If you look at South Africa they recruit players that when is time for international (games) they are competing or places in the national teams, while our foreign players are on holiday.
Our scouting across is a problem, it is a no from me,” Mokete said.
The Botswana Television and Yarona FM soccer analyst, however, acknowledged that there has been a few players who proved that clubs can do better in terms of recruitment.
“There has been a few yes, that you can say that the scouting was perfect. If you look at Benson Shilongo he is true testimony of good recruitment process. He was scouted at COSAFA and he did a good job here and in South African and now Egypt. (Terrence) Mandaza and Lawrence Majawa, though they were not regulars in their countries, they added impact in the teams and players around them learnt a lot from them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rollers and Jwaneng Galaxy have been quick off the blocks ahead of the transfer window, which is to open on December 1, 2020 and closes midnight on February 22, 2021.
Popa alongside, Obradovic and Gaolaolwe have also signed former Kaizer Chiefs and Zimbabwean striker, Michelle Katsvairo.
Galaxy have new recruits with an average of 21 years. These include Ivorian Under-20 midfielder, Yali Sangare and his countryman, Sedde Junior Dion and former Orlando Pirates development captain, Ricardo Torres Lourenco.