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Cape Town - Cape Town City owner John Comitis says the club will act swiftly in the transfer window next month and urged marquee off-season signing Ayanda Patosi to live up to his potential.
After losing head coach Eric Tinkler to SuperSport United and then captain, top scorer and play-maker Lebogang Manyama before the start of the new season - it was always going to be a difficult task for the one-year-old club to replicate their debut season success.
A top-three finish and the Telkom Knock-Out triumph immediately increased expectations with the Blue and Gold Army but the arrival of Benni McCarthy as the new mentor and Patosi's arrival from Belgian top-flight side Lokeren brought a renewed sense of optimism.
Five wins from five at the start of the 2017/18 campaign softened the blow of losing Tinkler and Manyama but the Cape Town-based sides form has dipped considerably since then.
Meanwhile, Patosi has even lost his place in City's starting XI.
Following the 4-2 defeat against out-of-form Maritzburg United on Tuesday, City dropped to sixth place but remain a single victory away from the top of the table.
"Patosi needs to stand and be counted because he's got the ability and you see him in glimpses here and there," Comitis told IOL website.
"But he has to lose few more kilos. You can see the quality and he will get better and better as he becomes fitter and fitter. Once he is ticking, the whole team will tick even better.
"He was a good six kilos overweight," he added. "It has taken him some time to adapt. He has got to get himself in to condition. He hasn’t been playing for some time."
Throughout the season, City have been linked with Chiefs reserve goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo and former Amakhosi winger Mandla Masango.
In reference to possible in comings this Janauary, the former Ajax Cape Town chairperson said; "I'm going to launch it in the first seven days (of the transfer window). You will see three signings but I’m keeping very quiet.
"There'll be two foreign players in that mix and possibly one local one. For me we need to remain competitive. Players need to know that they’ve got to keep on working. Aubrey Ngoma is like a new signing for us."
