Mamelodi Sundowns could be facing a familiar foreign quota issue with two additions expected this month. Soccer Laduma analyses the situation.
The Brazilians are close to signing Argentinian defender Lucas Suarez, who plays for CA Talleres, the same club they sent Matias Esquivel on loan to at the beginning of the season, according to reports in Argentina.
Masandawana are said to be negotiating a loan deal for Suarez, with an option to make it permanent at the end of the campaign.
The Tshwane giants are also expected to recall Esquivel from his loan spell at the same club in the current window, with two new foreign additions causing familiar problems with regards to PSL registrations, which only permits five foreign players.
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As things stand, Sundowns have four foreign players registered with the PSL, in Marcelo Allende, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Arthur Sales and Erwin Saavedra and the expected additions of Suarez and Esquivel makes it six foreign players.
Struggling for game time, Masandawana could make a decision to deregister Saavedra, who only returned from his loan spell at Club Bolivar in December last year.
Sundowns have made such decisions before, after they deregistered Ricardo Nascimento and terminated his contract early in February 2022, to open up a foreign space, ironically, for the signing of Saavedra.
Seven months down the line, Masandawana made a similar call after they terminated the contract of Pavol Safranko after just one season at the club to open up a foreign space following the signings of Marcelo Allende, Abdelmounaim Boutouil and Abubaker Nasir.
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The foreign quota issue has blighted The Brazilians in recent seasons, as before the signing of Arthur Sales, they had exceeded the allocation, with Junior Mendieta, Boutouil and Nasir making it six foreign spots last campaign, although indications are that the Ethiopian was deregistered before he was sent out on loan to SuperSport United.
Mendieta and Boutouil have also since left the club.
