Royal AM coach John Maduka has admitted to being caught by surprise when Tebogo Potsane left the club to join Kaizer Chiefs.
Royal AM's refusal to pay Samir Nurkovic R12 million has left FIFA no choice but to give them a transfer ban, meaning Maduka is unable to sign new players ahead of the new season, making life a bit difficult for him in terms of reinforcing a side that has quite a number of ageing players. And the last thing he would have wanted was to lose a player like Potsane, who has penned a three-year deal with Amakhosi.
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Potsane made 20 appearances in all competitions for Royal AM last season, contributing with three assists. After having a discussion with the player, Maduka thought that he would stay.
"At first, we thought that he would stay. We spoke and he said he is still going to be with the team and all of a sudden (he left). So, somewhere somehow, it did catch me by surprise," said Maduka.
"We thought that he was still going to be with the team. Unfortunately, it happened and it does happen in football that players leave. Yes, we would have loved to have Potsane because he was one of the influential players in our team last season. I am sure the team tried whatever to get him to stay, but sometimes you allow a person his wish, especially when they are getting older and they've always wanted to play for a certain team. Sometimes you allow that, so that a player can be where he wants to be.
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"He is a very good and influential player. He is a leader in terms of doing the right things, according to how the games go. We've lost a good player in him. Very creative in the final third, a fighter and a player that always wants to win. As a coach, you want to have a player that wants to win every game."
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