With the PSL transfer window shutting down on Tuesday midnight, KickOff has the very latest on in-demand Polokwane City winger Oswin Appollis.
A potential Appollis transfer has been long anticipated since the previous window, with Esperance de Tunis and Mamelodi Sundowns coming close to landing the Bafana Bafana attacker.
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Following reports that City chairman Johnny Mogaladi was not reachable during moments where the transfers were supposed to be finalized, and with Orlando Pirates believed to have entered the race, this website sought insight on whether anything has changed with less than 12 hours left of the current window and why Mogaladi is seemingly playing hard ball.
"Appollis has a long-term contract at Polokwane City and he is not going to leave easily. The chairman is serious about building a strong team," an insider at Rise and Shine revealed to this publication.
"What happened in the previous transfer window is that the chairman was not willing to sell at all. He made it clear he wants to build a strong team to be established in the PSL.
"The chairman feels he would rather sell to an overseas team than locally, because he sees every team as competition," the source said.
Injuries to Thabang Matuludi and Tlou Nkwe have added to the stress on the City squad chasing a continental finish, currently lying third on the Betway Premiership standings.
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"From what I know, it's unlikely that Appollis will leave in this transfer window, especially because the chairman is aware the depth of the team is not that strong at the moment," added the source.
KickOff.com has also been reliably informed that the depth around Rise and Shine has become more of a concern, with their DStv Diski Challenge team also running thin, after a number of players did not return from the December holidays.