TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Report
Midfield reinforcements could be on their way for FC Cincinnati, with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan reporting that the second-year MLS club’s in discussions to sign Kamohelo Mokotjo.
Mokotjo, 29, has featured 13 times for South Africa's national team and last played for Brentford FC in England’s Championship division. Predominantly a defensive midfielder, he’s out of contract after featuring in 102 matches across three seasons at the second-division club, registering six goals and seven assists along the way.
The report comes on the tail end of FC Cincy acquiring an international roster spot from New England via trade in exchange for winger Kekuta Manneh. Before the move, general manager Gerard Nijkamp said “we need international spots” when addressing the club’s plans during the Secondary Transfer Window, which runs from Aug. 12 through Oct. 29.
Aside from playing at Brentford, Mokotjo has prior stops at FC Twente, PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord. He’s featured in over 150 Eredivisie games, so there’s the Dutch ties with Nijkamp and head coach Jaap Stam. The latter, of course, used to manage both PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord, so there’d be some inherent familiarity with Mokotjo.
During Stam’s early days in charge of the Orange and Blue, he’s turned to a midfield trio of youngster Frankie Amaya, DM Caleb Stanko and veteran Haris Medunjanin in an ultra-conservative 5-3-2 formation. They also recently traded center mid Fatai Alashe to the Columbus Crew SC, leaving the door open for roster additions. Allan Cruz, a DP and arguably their top player in 2019, is also on the roster.
