Daniels feels PSL player cull not about the money

Failing to secure a Premiership contract even when he offered to take a 60% pay cut at clubs he negotiated with left veteran defender Clayton Daniels convinced that the unprecedented mass player exit at PSL clubs has nothing to do with financial challenges, as many believe. 

Daniels is one of nearly 100 players who lost their jobs at the end of the 2021/22 season after Maritzburg United decided against keeping him. The 37-year-old defender has since returned to his boyhood club Cape Town Spurs in the National First Division, having struggled to secure a top-flight contract.

"You can see what's happening in the Premiership... the clubs are releasing all the senior players. I don't know where this comes from but I don't think this is because of budget because I offered to play for way less than what I had been earning. I told clubs they can cut my salary by 60% but I didn't get a contract," Daniels told Sowetan.

"I think clubs are looking at younger players to safeguard the future, not that they are cutting costs. There were no concrete offers for me in the Premiership but I had some talks with Stellenbosch and Cape Town City. Even at Maritzburg I was willing to have my salary reduced tremendously but they weren't interested at all."

Daniels came through Spurs' development ranks when the club was still Ajax Cape Town, making his Premiership debut as a 22-year-old in 2007. The well-travelled centre-back wants to help Spurs return to the elite league, feeling that would create more opportunities for Cape lads to play top-flight football.

"My aim is to help Spurs go to the Premiership. There's a lot of talent in Cape Town and to have only City and Stellies isn't enough to accommodate all the talent we have here, so Spurs must go to the Premiership to create more opportunities for young players in Cape Town. Before I retire, it is my dream to take Spurs to the big league," Daniels said.