MTN8: Major boost for Sundowns as Pirates battle looms

Earlier this month Sundowns confirmed the newest arrival of Bafana Bafana international Terrence Mashego on a five-year deal, which followed hot on the heels of the club also unveiling Marcelo Allende as one of their newest signings.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Moroccan defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil would also be joining Masandawana.

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That news had not been officially confirmed until recently, though, and it’s now believed that Boutouil could make his first appearance for the Brazilians this weekend.

“His papers have been sorted,” a Sundowns official confirmed to KickOff.com. “It will all depend on team selection but he is available to play against Pirates on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, it’s also reported that Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Sirino has recovered from injury and would also be available this weekend.

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Ahead of the new season, Sundowns had already bolstered their squad with carefully-considered recruits, with the Brazilians warmly welcoming the arrival of Abubeker Nasir, who has already made an immediate impact.

Some critics have suggested that the strength of the player resources could lead to one-sided dominance and a weakening of the competition in the DStv Premiership, but Sundowns chairperson Thlopie Motsepe has sought to set the record straight.

“I don’t know where the criticism has come from in that regard. Players want to come to Mamelodi Sundowns because it is a place where they can improve themselves and achieve their dreams in football…” he said.

“I said at the end of last season we can expect a very tough league after the success we had last season. It has been a competitive and tough league [in 2022-23]. We expect it to only get even more competitive.”

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The arrival of Boutouil and Allende were initially hindered by visa and work permit application issues, but Sundowns were working hard to have both players registered.

Boutouil signed a long-term deal and the hope is that Peter Shalulile (Namibia) will successfully receive a permanent residence approval in the near future. That would open up a spot for Boutouil to be registered as one of five foreign players along with Sirino (Uruguay), Nasir, Allende and Erwin Saavedra (Bolivia).

Sundowns are currently at the summit of the PSL standings

The previous Sundowns signing to be officially unveiled was Bongani Zungu who marks his return to Chloorkop after leaving the club in 2016 to play internationally.

Meanwhile, with Sundowns needing to carefully balance their books in terms of the ‘foreign player’ allowance of five registered signings, Slovakian striker Pavol Safranko was recently let go by the club.

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