Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane says he understands how dejected Mamelodi Sundowns’ Gaston Sirino must be feeling following the collapse of his proposed transfer to the Red Devils.
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Gaston Sirino was linked with a transfer to Al Ahly for severeal months as he looked to reunite with former coach Pitso Mosimane.
Mamelodi Sundowns confirmed that Al Ahly wanted to sign 29-year-old Sirino, but talks fell through after the clubs failed to agree on a transfer fee.
The South African club released a statement confirming that they had terminated discussions with Al Ahly over the signing of Sirino.
This week Mosimane touched on Sirino’s failed transfer and how the Uruguayan must be feeling.
“We move on with Gaston Sirino. You’ve seen what he has said. He spoke openly about missing the opportunity to play for the biggest club on the continent,” Mosimane told The South African Football Journalists’ Association.
“When I recruited Sirino, I told him that ‘at your age, you are 26 and you have missed Europe’. So the chance was China, the Middle East and South Africa.
“At that point, South Africa was giving him the opportunity. I told him if he does well in the Champions League, the Club World Cup, then the Middle East will see him. We all know the financial remunerations that are happening in football.
“That was the only path for Gaston to move up. As I said, from South America, you go to the Middle East, China or South Africa. You can’t go to Zimbabwe or Zambia, let’s be honest.
“That’s the way to go, especially when you are over 25. But back home, that education still needs to be there, even for coaches,” Mosimane added.
“Once you pass 25 and you still good, you need to make sure the contracts are right because you are only left with years.
“Unfortunately, Gaston Sirino is 29 now. I understand how he was feeling to say ‘hey, I’ve got a chance to make a little bit more for my family and for myself because it might be my last contract’.
“Gaston had a chance and he is crying for that chance, I know that for sure,” Mosimane concluded.
Sirino has been at Mamelodi Sundowns since January 2018 where he made over a century of appearances, scoring 24 goals and registering 30 assists.
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