Alexandre Lafitte predicts a good transfer market in January!

Marumo Gallants coach Alexandre Lafitte has provided some clarity on the club's potential activity in the upcoming January transfer window, following their narrow defeat in the Carling Knockout Cup final.

A deflected extra-time strike from Orlando Pirates' Relebohile Mofokeng in the 105th minute sealed a 1-0 loss for Gallants at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. This result extended their winless run in open play to six matches across all competitions.

Despite their admirable journey to the cup final, Bahlabane Ba Ntwa are experiencing concerning domestic form, currently placed 12th in the league and only four points clear of the relegation zone.

In his final press conference of 2025, Lafitte reflected on the season and shed light on the club's planning during the AFCON hiatus. He expressed significant doubt about bringing in new recruits when the transfer window opens.

“I believe in my team and my players honestly and we continue to work,” Lafitte stated. “So, we work with the president to improve the team and continue to improve step by step. But I am not sure if recruitment is possible.”

This outlook comes after a summer where Gallants' signings, like midfielder Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo, proved successful. Ndlondlo has scored five goals in 15 appearances since returning from Orlando Pirates.

Given the uncertainty around new signings, Lafitte emphasized his commitment to developing the existing squad he has carefully assembled since taking charge in August.

“The most important thing is to continue to work with the same team because I know this team,” Lafitte affirmed. “Notably, when I started in August, I did not have [Philip], Katlego Otladisa, [or] Bance Ibrahim. So, step by step we built a good team.”

The French coach pinpointed key areas for internal improvement, viewing squad depth and attacking sharpness as critical for the season's remainder.

He outlined the immediate challenge as being: “The challenge is to improve notably offensively but it is also important to improve the substitutes because if 22 players are the same level, we can push and have different solutions.”

With the league resuming in January 2026, Lafitte will now use the AFCON break to work on these solutions with his current players, preparing for a vital second half of the campaign.

Hazem Mlhem |

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Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.