Tinkler on how Mayo asked City boss not to entertain suitors

Khanyisa Mayo was one of the players that was linked with a move to the bigger teams this transfer window but he has stayed on at Cape Town City despite reported interest from Gauteng giants. 

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The young striker was reportedly on the wanted books at Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs but Tinkler says he is not going anywhere.

“Everybody keeps asking how difficult it was (to hold on to Mayo),” said Tinkler. He was speaking during the launch of the DStv Premiership season at Multichoice City in Randburg on Wednesday. 

“But Khanyisa went into the chairman’s office and said, ‘chairman, I don’t want to go anywhere’. 

“So, the ones who are making it difficult are the media… Mayo is committed, he is at training everyday working hard. 

“And he is focused on one thing only, scoring 20 plus goals for us this season. That is his target that he has set for himself.”

Tinkler says if Mayo adds more goals in the upcoming season, it could help the team finish higher up in the log standings and challenge Sundowns. 

“If he gets the 20 goals, I will be happy, that would be eight more than he scored for us last season. 

“If we add the eight goals to our tally for last season then we would have been level with Pirates.” 

Tinkler happy with new striker

Commenting on his new striker, Jo Paciencia, Tinkler says he is of the quality they need to bolster their attacking options. 

“We brought him in after he had trained with us in February for a week and I liked what I saw. I think he suits our system, the way we play. 

“Technically he is very gifted player and also has a little bit of an explosion like Fagrie Lakay which is nice to see.”

Tinkler said his new striker will however take a little longer to settle because of the language barrier as he cannot speak English. 

“He is struggling a little to communicate with his teammates. He has struggled with fitness because when he came to us in February he had been inactive for about four months. 

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“So, his fitness levels are something we are working hard on. But I do believe that once he is fully fit, he will add value and be a good signing.”