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Johannesburg - Having made no less than 14 new signings since the start of the mid-year transfer window, Mamelodi Sundowns boss Pitso Mosimane says he has no concerns with the club's transfer policy.
"We are Sundowns, that's why we are a big team," he said on Wednesday evening, following his side's 1-1 Premiership draw with Platinum Stars.
"We have good players and we have a big team. That's how it was before I came and that's how it will happen after I depart here.
"We are Sundowns, so accept it."
Under free-spending owner Patrice Motsepe, Sundowns have gained a reputation of spending money for spending's sake, and have had little success of late, despite a plethora of top talent at the Chloorkop outfit.
They last won the premier league title in 2007 and their only other silverware since then was the Nedbank Cup, which they won in 2008.
Mosimane joined the club in December last year and admitted Sundowns appeared to be in the habit of buying players recklessly, without proper consideration for the needs of the club.
"We will not be making any wholesale changes, because the only thing we want to do is to strengthen certain key positions, where we feel we are thin," Mosimane told the club’s official website, sundownsfc.co.za, in January.
The former Bafana Bafana coach reiterated his point in May, shortly before the transfer window opened in July.
"Gone are those days of just signing players and just signing because we sign," Mosimane said.
"No, we are going to sign the right players and not just names like before. We will sign to balance the team out evenly."
But following the arrival of former Ajax Cape Town winger Khama Billiat, Mosimane's policy has once again been questioned.
Sundowns signed the likes of Bongani Zungu - a youngster who spent his first season in the Premiership last season - as well as Katlego Mashego from Moroka Swallows.
Mashego, the league's top goal scorer last season, started both of Sundowns' opening games on the bench, after Cuthbert Malajila, another new arrival, was preferred.
Another player who had been relegated to the bench was goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands, who appeared destined for a second-choice role, after Mosimane signed former Free State Stars shot-stopper Kennedy Mweene.
Sandilands, who earned several Bafana Bafana call-ups after his good form last season, looked likely to lose his place in the national team, after Bafana coach Gordon Igesund claimed Sandilands would need to be playing regularly to be considered.
But with Mweene having started both Premiership games thus far, Sandilands was reported to have been frustrated by the situation at the big-spending club.
But Mosimane was dismissive about the rumours, saying his players knew what was required of them, whether in or out of the team.
"I don't know about Wayne Sandilands being unsettled. We have 30 players and some have to play and others have to sit on the bench."
