DOLLY GOOD SHOW! Keagan finally jets off, let's hope it was worth the fuss

MANNEQUIN OF THE MOMENT: Keagan Dolly

COULD the Keagan Dolly saga really be over? Can we stop talking about buy-out clauses and Dispute Resolution Chambers? Can we finally focus on these strange swap deals involving Chippa United?

It appears to be so. Nobody move. Anything could yet happen. But in the wee hours of Sunday morning, French Ligue 1 club Montpellier, a modest 13th out of 20 on the latest table, announced the 23-year-old South Africa would sign for 1.7m Euros on a four year deal. That’s about R24.8m. Not bad for a lad bought from R6m from Ajax Cape Town three years ago.

Tokelo Rantie moved from Malmo to Bournemouth for the same fee of around £1.5m in 2013, but no South African club was involved. Same applies to Benni McCarthy. It’s a South African record, though with transfer fees more secretive than the President’s underpants, who really knows?

Since Dolly’s move to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2014, after spending a season on loan at his old club, Dolly has won the PSL title, the Nedbank Cup, the Telkom KO and the MTN8 before, as we all know, helping Masandawana to the African Champions League triumph three months ago.

Dolly’s name appeared in the CAF Best of Africa XI at the GLO awards to put the cap on a fantastic season for club and player, even Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi could only make the bench. 

But the end of his Sundowns career was blighted by a life-or-death struggle with Dolly’s agency, Siyavuma. Their boss, the no-nonsense pint-sized Yorkshireman Paul Mitchell actually employs Dolly’s dad Ramon, who was wheeled out on national radio to fight the good fight.

He’s a tough negotiator Mitchell, and he can burn the ears off any football journalist in the country when he feels he has been wronged. Again and again he told me: “Keagan’s done it all in South Africa, it’s time for him to move.” Curiously Sundowns chairman Patrice Motsepe was saying roughly the same thing at the same time.

When Sundowns successfully went to the PSL’s DRC to restore Dolly’s buy-out clause from 733,000 Euros (on his current signed contract in 2015) to £1.5m (the amount on his original contract in 2014), Mitchell went bonkers.

With Sundowns allowed to double the original bids offered last year by Greek giants Olympiakos and Montpellier, Mitchell could see his golden goose being slowly cooked as Manchester City’s City Group appeared to be keen on moving Dolly to their sister club New York City in the American MLS.

Mitchell was having none of it. The warm-afterglow of Sundowns’ African conquest quickly cooled as Mitchell and Sundowns officials went to war; serious threats and organised media campaigns followed. Mitchell claims he was threatened with jail for perjury, Sundowns claimed dodgy dealings were at play.

But in truth, what was the point? Dolly cost £1.5m at a time when Chinese clubs are offering ridiculous amounts for players coming to the end of their careers. It would barely buy you Olivier Giroud’s beard or Joe Hart’s gloves.

The deal was always on, the buy-out clause was a mere detail. It’s a bargain in current terms. Dolly said farewell to his Sundowns team-mates this week amid photogenic smiles as they returned to training over the ridiculously long Christmas break.

But it’s hard to leave with a grin when your club somehow managed to alter a signed contract, when your agent and your dad are forced to issue apologies.

Mitchell issued a statement as the deal approached closure, saying: “For Keagan to follow his dream of playing in Europe and to fly the South African flag high will be a dream come true.”

Let’s hope that’s true. The agent’s dreams have certainly come true. And Sundowns have made a 400 percent profit in three seasons.

But Dolly’s dreams? Let’s hope he doesn’t get Lost in France. Kermit Erasmus, a man with far more experience in Europe and South Africa, has just been loaned out by Rennes to Lens. It’s tough out there.

Montpellier may have seen some great names come through their ranks, but they are not giants of the French game right now. They last won a trophy in 2012.

Let’s hope we finally see a young South African explode in to the English Premier League or La Liga, or even Series A. We don’t have any at the moment. Dolly has the talent, but Bongani Khumalo can tell him how hard it is to move 5,000 miles and train in the frost for various coaches who don’t really know you.

Still, Dolly’s Wikipedia entry now states quite clearly: “Keagan Larenzo Dolly is a South African football player who plays as a midfielder for Montpellier in the League 1.” I’d love to know who edited that before he’s even played a game.

On Friday, local football media said Dolly had already had a medical in France. Before he'd left OR Tambo. There could yet be a twist in this sorry tale.

All the best Keagan, may the force be with you. Best avoid any future Star Wars.

Storm brews as Sundowns turn down R5m Russian bid for Siyanda Xulu

To Russia with love: Sundowns defender Siyanda Xulu

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS have turned down a second offer for defender Siyanda Xulu from Russian club Rostov – their decision to reject a R5m bid for the 20-year-old has left his representative Paul Mitchell from Siyavuma Sports “very disappointed”.

Mitchell, who also oversaw Aaron Mokoena’s move to Wits last month, said: “It’s frustrating that the move for Siyanda has been turned down, we understand at the end of the day he’s a contracted player and Sundowns have every right to decide his value.

“But we feel that the over-inflated South African market is now starting to have an effect on young South African players leaving our shores for better things.

“Siyanda has always had a burning ambition to play overseas and has been promised if a reasonable offer came in, he would be allowed to leave. Unfortunately, the offer put forward has not been deemed reasonable by Sundowns and at the end of the day, he’s a contracted player.”

Mitchell took highly-ranked Xulu, poached from Kaizer Chiefs as a teenager, to Barcelona and Arsenal last season, provoking considerable interest. Mitchell said: “He was ready to go to Barca when they sacked their entire academy staff, then we organised a loan move to Atletico Madrid but Sundowns rejected that, they were worried he might lose confidence if, at the end of the loan, a permanent deal never happened.

“Arsene Wenger had a look at him and he liked what he saw. He said Siyanda was a perfect Premier League full-back, he just needed to get used to the physicality.

“Now we have this offer from Rostov, a major club in a big league. I can’t tell you how frustrating this is for a young player like Siyanda. He deserves his chance to play overseas. But as I will reiterate he’s a Sundowns player.”

Rostov, promoted to the increasingly lucrative Russian Premier League in 2008, finished mid-table last season, with Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa and Cameroon defender Benoit Angbwa among their current squad. The club has a unique link with South Africa -  Matthew Booth, Tony Coyle, Rowan Hendricks, Bennett Mnguni and Zaphet Zwane have all played in the popular tourist port.

Sundowns Dutch coach Johan Neeskens said: “If Rostov offer what Sundowns feel is a fair transfer fee then we’ll let him go. He’s a very talented defender and we deserve to get a good price for Siyanda.”

Mitchell added: “Look at the end of the day, we’re in the same position as when the Atletico offer was turned down. Siyanda showed tremendous maturity in brushing himself down and getting on with the job in hand at Sundowns. As we’ve discussed, Siyanda will continue to do his level best for Sundowns and Bafana Bafana.”

While Xulu is in limbo, his club-mate Mushekwi – top scorer in the Nedbank Cup last season -  is also struggling to be released by Sundowns after passing a medical with Bundesliga newcomers Greuthe Furth.

Mushekwi’s agent Ralph Nkomo is hoping the Tshwane Brazilians will accept a R10m bid for the 24-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Belgium’s Standard Liege and English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday after video footage of his six goals in the 24-0 Nedbank Cup victory over shocking Powerlines echoed around the footballing world.

Nkomo said: “We are preparing a proposal which will put Nyasha’s future in his own hands. We are obviously hoping this matter could be resolved.”