Marumo Gallants FC head coach Dan Malesela has weighed in on the issue of player valuation in South Africa, which has been a hotly debated topic after Kaizer Chiefs' failed attempts to sign Asanele Velebayi from Cape Town Spurs.
There is currently a huge outcry about what local clubs demand for their players nowadays.
Recently, Kaizer Chiefs saw their offer for up-and-coming winger Asanele Velebayi, which is believed to be R4 million, being turned down by second-tier club Cape Town Spurs, who demanded as much as R10 million.
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Stellenbosch FC's pursuit of another Spurs star, in Ashley Cupido, has hit a snag as the Urban Warriors feels what they have offered is too little.
"Fortunately or unfortunately for me, I'm not in a situation where I can buy players. I just pick up those who are out of contracts, those that I think are idling at home, and those that I think can be useful," Malesela admits, in an exclusive interview with KickOff.
"If funds were permitting, one would go to the market, but it's quite expensive. I don't know where these prices come from, but it's very expensive.
"It depends on the pockets of people, you know. If they can afford that, then by all means, they will go for them, but I think we are overpricing our players, you know.
"With our economy and how things are, I don't see how R40 million players are coming here. There will be an imbalance in terms of players intake from other clubs to other clubs. There will be certain other clubs who are always right there at the top, and certain clubs who will be right at the bottom if we go that way," he continues.
Malesela is of the opinion that PSL sides are not at the stage where they must buy players for R40 million.
"We must look at the market and ask ourselves if are we reasonable within our market. We must try to develop our players, you know. Clubs must take development seriously because it's an overdue topic. Let's take care of our development structures because currently, we are not.
"A lot of foreign players that we have are just okay and are bringing something that we already have. The really good foreigners, most of the time it's goalkeepers.
"So, I'm not sure with the pricing of the players, the monies that are being demanded by some clubs, it's just too high for certain players.
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"What is annoying the most is that sometimes you get this player who is very, very expensive, but they don't play all the matches. Sometimes a person is bought with a certain kind of money and the next thing he is frequently on the bench at his new club.