SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews revealed to the Siya crew that Thapelo Maseko is not for sale after Belgian side Westerlo made two offers, but there are a few reasons that makes sense in the club's decision not to jump at whatever the Europeans have put on the table.
Unpopular opinion: It makes sense for the club not to jump at the first offer that comes from Europe simply because it comes from that part of the world.
Don't get me wrong, I am one person who advocates for players, especially youngsters, to go overseas. When you look at how someone like Lyle Foster has benefitted from going to Europe as a youngster, with Westerlo being part of the journey, it makes perfect sense for Maseko to pursue a career abroad. But, it also has to make sense to SuperSport because football, as we sometimes tend to forget, is a business and clubs make decisions not only for the players, but themselves too, especially in this difficult economy where we constantly see clubs being sold.
SuperSport have invested in Maseko from his youth days and it would only make sense for the club to want a significant return on investment, especially when a European club is interested in signing the player. He is currently in his first full season with the club and there is no denying that his value is constantly rising the more he performs for SuperSport.
With Hugo Broos recently including the 19-year-old in his preliminary squad for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Liberia, it means the youngster has a realistic chance of making it into the final team that will play in Ivory Coast in January. And remember, getting to play at AFCON opens up even more opportunities, if a player can get game time and do well.
SuperSport also have an opportunity to qualify for either the CAF Champions League or Confederation Cup next season, so there is a good chance that the player's value will rise significantly by the end of the year, should he avoid injury and stay consistent.
In the interview Matthews did with the Siya crew, he mentioned that he would want the player to complete a full season with the club before they would even consider selling him. The fact that there is a European club keen on the player, should motivate Maseko to work even harder and attract interest from other clubs in Europe.
I would definitely want to see Maseko play abroad and take his career to another level, but I do understand that SuperSport should also benefit when it comes to selling a player to a European club. The good thing is that time is still on Maseko's side and we can only hope that his chances of going overseas are still there, whether it's at Westerlo or not, because he certainly has the potential to make the country proud abroad.
