Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Andre Arendse has advised Ronwen Williams to consider a move to Europe if the opportunity arises.
Williams enjoyed an impressive Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast, and capped that off when he was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament on Sunday after the final between Nigeria and the hosts.
His heroics helped Bafana to a first third-place finish since 2000, where he also five clean sheets and broke Arendse's record of four which the legend had set in 1996.
“I think now he has to make a move abroad, but who knows what he is thinking. A move abroad will take him to another level,” Arendse told Sowetan yesterday.
“Ronwen has passed his test in the African continent. Now is for him to make a move and try at the European level and play on that type of a stage.
“I think he will be successful at that stage. He is not a dimensional type of player. When he was at SuperSport, his strength was putting counterattacks with his distributions.
“His strength was also building up attacking play when he was in possession. At Sundowns, now he is building from the back and he has become very comfortable in possession of the ball. He can offer that to many different leagues around the world.”
Arendse, who worked with Williams at SuperSport United, before his move to Mamelodi Sundowns, said he was not surprised with the keeper's achievement as there were signs after playing in the Afcon 2019 in Egypt.
“This is the testimony of the development that he had over the last few years. Remember when he first came to SuperSport at the age of 12, then already he worked with coach Grant Johnson,” he said.
“And today, Grant Johnson is the goalkeeper coach of the national team. So the relationship between [them] and the understanding that is required is there.
“When I was the head of goalkeeping at the national team in 2019 in the Afcon, I saw that he was progressing, he was maturing. He was getting used to playing at the highest level in the game on the African continent.
“And what took him further is his move to Sundowns, a team that continued to play at the highest level in the African continent against top clubs.”
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Image: Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix
Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Andre Arendse has advised Ronwen Williams to consider a move to Europe if the opportunity arises.
Williams enjoyed an impressive Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast, and capped that off when he was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament on Sunday after the final between Nigeria and the hosts.
His heroics helped Bafana to a first third-place finish since 2000, where he also five clean sheets and broke Arendse's record of four which the legend had set in 1996.
“I think now he has to make a move abroad, but who knows what he is thinking. A move abroad will take him to another level,” Arendse told Sowetan yesterday.
“Ronwen has passed his test in the African continent. Now is for him to make a move and try at the European level and play on that type of a stage.
“I think he will be successful at that stage. He is not a dimensional type of player. When he was at SuperSport, his strength was putting counterattacks with his distributions.
“His strength was also building up attacking play when he was in possession. At Sundowns, now he is building from the back and he has become very comfortable in possession of the ball. He can offer that to many different leagues around the world.”
Arendse, who worked with Williams at SuperSport United, before his move to Mamelodi Sundowns, said he was not surprised with the keeper's achievement as there were signs after playing in the Afcon 2019 in Egypt.
“This is the testimony of the development that he had over the last few years. Remember when he first came to SuperSport at the age of 12, then already he worked with coach Grant Johnson,” he said.
“And today, Grant Johnson is the goalkeeper coach of the national team. So the relationship between [them] and the understanding that is required is there.
“When I was the head of goalkeeping at the national team in 2019 in the Afcon, I saw that he was progressing, he was maturing. He was getting used to playing at the highest level in the game on the African continent.
“And what took him further is his move to Sundowns, a team that continued to play at the highest level in the African continent against top clubs.”
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