Monama is Barker’s lone target

In fact, AmaTuks coach Steve Barker said that the only player they are chasing is Mamelodi Sundowns’ “odd-man-out” midfielder Raymond Monama, above, a deal the team’s mentor is confident will go through.

“We would like to have your Anthony Laffors and Katlego Mphelas, but we do not have the resources,” quipped Barker .

“We communicated earlier with Sundowns our interest on Thamsanqa Sangweni, but as you know, nothing came out of it. But I am confident with Monama’s deal. He is the only player we are pursuing this season.

“I think we have the right squad to do the job this season and achieve our mandate, which essentially is to finish in the top half of the league.”

Barker believes the team is on course to finish in the top eight at the end of the season after a rocky start and tough games the team must face when league fixtures resume, starting with Maritzburg United on February 5.

The Pretoria side have won just five of their 15 league encounters and are currently in ninth place. Barker, though, insists that the long break from league fixtures will be beneficial and afford the team time to plan for the rest of the season.

“The only pressure is from us as a club and as the technical staff to perform,” said Barker. “I have said this before – this is a tough league and the second half is always the toughest. But we are in a comfortable position to finish with 32 or even 40 points.

“The management have faith in me and we are looking for consistency. You know that I am one of the longest-serving coaches in the league and we are looking forward to taking this forward, so we must win to make sure we reach those goals we set at the start of the season.”