Why Keagan Dolly’s move to SuperSport United failed

The former Kaizer Chiefs player had completed a medical at the Tshwane outfit and was ready to put pen to paper, subject to personal terms, but the deal fell through. 

Matthews says it was coach Gavin Hunt’s call. 

"I couldn't sign Vincent Pule and Keagan Dolly, so that was Gavin's choice and he's best suited to answer that kind of question, my job is to support the coach," said Matthews.

"He's worked with Vincent before, he feels Vincent can play wide-left, as a 10, and he knows Gavin's training, pressing, what he wants, and I think Gavin was maybe a little bit uncertain as to where Keagan is.

"We did do the medical, which was fine, but when it came down to selection of A or B, that's the coach's call and then I look to try and close up what he wants, and he wanted Vincent, so...

"I told Vincent today, I tried to sign him seven years ago, when his numbers were greedy, so I'm glad that old age has opened his mind up to being at SuperSport finally, but he's a player we've always liked."

The Matsatsantsa boss insists the decision was nothing personal against Dolly.

"I didn't know Vincent or Keagan from a bar of soap, I've hardly ever had any discussions with either of them, so there's nothing personal in the football space," he said.

"It's about looking at the options that are out there, and giving the coach the widest choices available, and if those can come in within our budget parameters and make sense, from a continuity and planning perspective, then we look at it.

"We've had a lot of different characters through the door in the last few weeks, and not just Gavin and myself, but also my chairman Khulu Sibiya and two other board members have regular meetings to debate these things.

"And for Gavin, Andre [Arendse], Grant [Johnson], and Paul Matthews, the team manager, to motivate who they want and why, and then we discuss and ask questions, and then If I can reach terms with those players, they become SuperSport players.

"But there won't be more than two or three more signings from us – they just might take a little bit longer because the transfer window is still open and we haven't found exactly what we want yet."

READ: SuperSport United boss denies bias towards Mamelodi Sundowns