Sundowns did A LOT of business in January, but was all of it good?

They may be struggling for form on the pitch, but Mamelodi Sundowns proved in the January transfer window that if they are shrewd rather than impulsive with their business, they can remain a force long into the future even if this season proves a blip on their proud record.

Sundowns signed forward Brayan León, winger Monnapule Saleng and centre-back Khulumani Ndamane. Ndamane and León are likely to prove in the long run to be smart moves for both club and player, although the impact of Saleng's move is more difficult to predict.

However, Sundowns' solid work in this transfer window may have come too late to immediately compensate for questionable decisions made in the previous two windows.

Their former head coach, Rhulani Mokwena, famously said previously: "Empires don't collapse. They dilapidate, bit by bit." The context of those comments may have been slightly different, but they remain salient for the Sundowns of today.

It is equally true that once cracks have started to appear in the system, they often cannot be papered over immediately.

Sundowns had a positive January 2026 transfer window and proved that even during periods of rare challenges, they can correct course. However, the previous two windows were examples of what can go wrong if they panic under pressure.

The cost of previous deals

Midway through 2024-25, in Miguel Cardoso's first transfer window as head coach, Sundowns signed midfielder Jayden Adams and centre-backs Keanu Cupido and Lucas Suárez - the latter on loan.

Suárez is now no longer at the club after they opted not to retain him. Like the Argentine; Cupido and Adams have given fair accounts of themselves, but have not established themselves as vital components of the team.

On account of his relative youth (24 years) Adams is the only one among the three January 2025 signings who looks likely to be a solution to a long-term problem: namely who can step up and claim a regular starting spot in midfield if Teboho Mokoena or Marcelo Allende leave or face injuries or loss of form.

The following transfer window came under much more difficult circumstances, with Sundowns losing Lucas Ribeiro Costa after the FIFA Club World Cup.

Nevertheless, one misstep that stands out and cannot be simply attributed to pressure caused by the Club World Cup was the signing of Fawaaz Basadien - who is a quality player but has not been able to fit into the Sundowns team.

As a result, even after moving on several out-of-favour players either permanently or on loan, Sundowns still carry some bloat in their squad even after an impressive January 2026 window.

There is good news

The consolation for Sundowns fans is that their signings in the January 2026 transfer window appear to have been much more carefully calculated than those in previous windows.

The best signing of the lot was Ndamane - a Bafana Bafana international centre-back at 21 who is likely to be a starter for years to come and already has some decent minutes under his belt after arriving from TS Galaxy.

Léon has two goals in as many Betway Premiership appearances and at 25, the Colombian forward shows promise as a long-term attacking solution. These transfers are likely to boost Ndamane and Léon as much as they are Sundowns, raising their profiles.

The wildcard signing, however, was that of Saleng. There has been unconfirmed speculation because of how unexpected the signing was, it could signal the imminent return of Pitso Mosimane to Sundowns.

It is also worth considering the impact this may have on Orlando Pirates - who currently lead the Betway Premiership after eight successive seasons of Sundowns dominance.

Midway through the 2019-20 season, Sundowns agreed a pre-contract with George Maluleka - then of Kaizer Chiefs, who were frontrunners for the league title.

Sundowns came back late in the season and snatched another league title from the jaws of defeat in the race to the top.

The Saleng transfer is unlikely to be quite as demoralising for a title rival to Sundowns as that of Maluleka, however, as he had already been on loan at Orbit College from Pirates - that itself a move that has never fully been explained to the public, although his agent, Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse, cited personal issues he was dealing with in an interview with Mazola Molefe for Smash Sports.

Overall, however, the transfer window for Sundowns gets a B- at the very least - and this one is far more likely to fill holes in the team for the long-term than Cardoso's first a year ago.

Sporting director Flemming Berg may have been heavily scrutinised by supporters for past missteps, but in the past month, the club can hardly be faulted for its acquisitions. The results, however, may take time to show, just as the cost of past mistakes did not immediately appear, but now hampers the team in the present.