With his contract coming to an end in June 2025 and no talks yet with his parent club Mamelodi Sundowns for a definite renewal, the Siya crew takes a look at the future of Uganda goalkeeper Ismail Watenga.
Could the international stopper be set for a permanent move from the Premiership's defending champions?
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Siya sources close to the club and the player have indicated that the goalkeeper, who is currently on loan at Golden Arrows, is looking at staying at the Durban-based club in the long term.
The insiders added that there are question marks on his future at the Brazilians, hence both the player and Arrows are believed to be hoping to initiate talks for his permanent stay in KwaZulu-Natal.
"As a player, Ismail also wants to be sure of where he is in future and that's why they are looking at a permanent move from Sundowns to Golden Arrows. It's just a matter of discussing the necessary logistics of the move and then to make it permanent," said the Siya source.
"You know he has been on loan since he joined Sundowns from Chippa United in 2020 and it doesn't make sense. And if you look at the goalkeepers at Sundowns, the chances of him playing are very slim. That's why they are looking at a permanent move," the source added.
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A second Siya source stated that Uganda national team authorities also want to see him play regularly because he is their first choice keeper.
"If he stays at Sundowns it's very difficult for him to play and as a national team they have qualified for the AFCON next year and they need their first choice goalkeeper to be active and play regularly and be ready for Morocco. To do that he needs to move away from Sundowns permanently and that's what Arrows are negotiating for," the second insider told the Siya crew.
The 29-year-old played 19 games for Arrows last season, though he is yet to feature for them this season because of a previous injury. Now that he has recovered and got back in action for Uganda in the AFCON qualifiers, he will be ready to return for Arrows in the PSL too.
Soccer Laduma contacted Sundowns for comment but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
