24 July 2019, by: Leonard Solms

THE BEST ABSA PREMIERSHIP TRANSFERS 2019/2020

With the new Absa Premiership season set to start on 3 August, the transfer window is in full swing. While the likes of Hendrick Ekstein and Marshall Munetsi have left South African shores, there have been plenty of notable movements into and between various top flight clubs.

BET Central takes a look at the best signings, in particular those who have turned our heads and could set the league alight.

How many clubs in Africa can sign a goalkeeper straight from Feyenoord after a season in which he turned out for the first team?

Of course, we need to be wary of idealising players just because they have top European clubs on their CVs (*cough* Toni Silva). However, indications are that the former France youth international is the real deal.

Not only did Delle line up alongside Robin van Persie as recently as March, but he also proved himself week-in-week-out at NEC Nijmegen.

YouTube doesn’t always tell the full story, but it is hard to ignore some of the footage on there of the 29-year-old in full flow, particularly his highlights from the 2016/17 season.

Amakhosi won the race to sign the Zambian striker from Zesco United, reportedly beating Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu to it.

The Glamour Boys have not always had their way in the transfer market during recent years, but they tend to make the odd marquee signing even during the quieter windows. It was Khama Billiat in the last transfer window and Leonardo Castro before that.

This season, 25-year-old Kambole looks set to be the main attraction. Prolific in the CAF Champions League and in national team colours, he could be the frontman to help Amakhosi return to the big stage in Africa.

Makaringe was a key player in Maritzburg United’s survival fight and has now earned a move to a team at the other end of the Absa Premiership table.

A midfielder with an admirable work ethic as well as an eye for goal, Makaringe could be the missing component in an already impressive Buccaneers side. Likewise, Pirates can help the 26-year-old reach his full potential.

If Makaringe picks up where he left off at the end of last season, he alone could bridge what is left of the already shrinking gap to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Not content with signing just one Maritzburg United star midfielder, the Buccaneers snapped up another. Siphesihle Ndlovu may have struggled to recapture his 2017/18 form over the past campaign, but he is still a young man with the world at his feet.

Ndlovu won the Absa Premiership Young Player of the Season and Midfielder of the Season awards aged 21 last year. He was instrumental for the Team of Choice as they finished fourth in 2017/18.

In a country where so many talented players go untested at the highest level until their 20s, Ndlovu is still on the right track to success. Choosing Orlando Pirates over Mamelodi Sundowns will likely prove to be a good decision as the competition for midfield places at Chloorkop would have made life difficult for him.

While Orlando Pirates were bringing in players left, right and centre, some stalwarts abandoned ship. Among them was former captain Thabo Matlaba with the defender one of many players to emerge at Lidoda Duvha.

The versatile fullback still has plenty to prove at 31 years of age and his experience could be vital at Black Leopards.

The team from Thohoyandou has endured its fair share of turbulence since earning promotion in May 2018. New coach Lionel Soccoia has been entrusted with helping the task of avoiding another relegation scrap and will surely look to squeeze every ounce of experience and fighting spirit from Matlaba.

The latest in a long line of Capetonian players who weren’t able to settle in Johannesburg, Abbubaker Mobara is back on home soil with Cape Town City after his spell at Orlando Pirates came to a close. A versatile defender who is equally comfortable in midfield, he will slot perfectly into Benni McCarthy’s attack-minded team.

It is easy to forget that former Ajax Cape Town man Mobara is only 25 years old. He may have found playing time hard to come by at Pirates, but he still has time to atone for whatever has been lacking over the past three years.

This is not to insinuate that his time at Ezikamagebhula was a total failure. Three years and 39 Absa Premiership appearances after leaving the Mother City, Mobara returns to Cape Town a more mature player albeit with plenty still left to prove.

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