Why Sundowns chose Matthews over Veldwijk

Tashreeq Matthews joined Mamelodi Sundowns in the January transfer window to bolster their attack upfront.

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He scored his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over Chippa United at the weekend.

However, it is an open secret that Sundowns discussed the possibility of bringing on board former Bafana Bafana striker Lars Veldwijk.

Phakaaathi got insight as to why the deal to sign the big forward didn’t materialise.

According to a source close to the daily operations at the Brazilians, not all members of the tehcnical team were convinced that the 32-year-old would be a perfect fit at Chloorkop.

“I think in the end, sanity prevailed because the technical team was divided over the possibility of signing Lars. Sundowns press high up and they needed someone who is mobile and didn’t mind being the first line of defence like Peter Shalulile,” the source revealed.

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“They didn’t agree on his transfer because some members of the team felt that he would not be able to adapt to their style of play and the demanding work rate it requires. Ultimately, they signed Tashreeq who is also seen as one for the future because age is on his side as well. He can play across different positions upfront.”

Veldwijk, who was a free agent at that time after parting ways with South Korean topflight club Suwon FC has since joined Spanish lower division side CD Castellón.