Mamelodi Sundowns' recent appointment of Michael Loftman as a set-piece coach has more to it than meets the eye, Soccer Laduma can reveal.
It's an open secret that changes in the Sundowns technical team are imminent after Mokwena himself admitted as much in a couple of press conferences.
The immediate futures of assistant coach Steve Komphela and senior coach Manqoba Mngqithi are still to be decided by the club, with Mokwena having a big influence as the elevated head coach.
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Mngqithi's future in particular, has been cast in doubt after he was demoted to a senior coach role, with his contract coming to an end when the season concludes while Komphela has also reached the final months of his previous deal, although Sundowns have an option to renew on his contract.
As reported in edition 1312 of Soccer Laduma, the Siya crew has been informed that Loftman's role at Sundowns could evolve in the coming months, considering the changes that are expected to take place at the end of the season.
The arrival of Loftman, who has reunited with Mokwena from their time at Orlando Pirates, adds a further twist to the technical team dynamic at Sundowns, with Siya sources suggesting that the English coach could have a lot more added on his plate in the near future.
The new roles in the Brazilians' technical team will become clearer at the end of the season, once Mokwena himself also concludes his new contract negotiations with the club, as his previous contract is set to expire in 2024.
Considering that Loftman worked closely with Mokwena during their time at Pirates for two years, his appointment at the Brazilians also suggests that the Soweto native coach has a bit more weight and pull at the club.
Before joining the Soweto giants as a match analyst in 2018, Loftman was the technical director at Lusaka Dynamos in the Zambian Premier League two years prior at the age of 25 and assumed the role of a head coach for just under three months after a coach left the post.
The Englishman would be familiar with holding more than one position at Pirates after he doubled up as DStv Diski Challenge head coach, in addition to being a match analyst for the senior team from 2018 to 2021.
Loftman left the Sea Robbers in February 2021 and joined Belgian second-tier side Lommel SK, where he also held two positions, as an assistant coach and analyst.
The former Tottenham Hotspur development coach's spell in Belgium was short, as he joined the Egyptian national team in September of the same year, also with dual roles as a senior team coach and analyst during their World Cup qualifiers campaign.
Loftman left his post with the Pharaohs in January 2022 and joined Motsepe Foundation Championship side Venda Football Academy six months later and parted ways with the club just after three months.
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