Philander chooses Polokwane City as Durban City miss out on winger

Giovanni Philander has signed a two-year contract with Polokwane City, ending weeks of speculation over his future and dashing Durban City’s hopes of securing the highly rated attacker.

The 26-year-old winger had been training with Durban City for most of their pre-season as the club weighed up reinforcements for a campaign that will include the CAF Confederation Cup and the MTN8. Those preparations had fuelled expectations that he was set to join the Durban outfit.

However, a late move from Polokwane City proved decisive, with the Limpopo side winning the race for his signature after holding a long-standing interest in the player.

“He signed last night,” a source close to the negotiations told BBC Sport Africa. “Polokwane City were always in the picture as they’ve shown interest before. But you know some clubs are easier to deal with than others and, at the time, he ended up looking elsewhere.

“We can’t beat around the bush about it, Polokwane are not the easiest club to deal with. But the boy has signed now.

“It’s a two-year deal,” added the source.

Philander had been without a club since leaving Chippa United at the end of last season. His search for a new team initially led him to Durban City, where he spent several weeks on assessment during their pre-season programme.

The club had been impressed by his displays in training and matches, with officials believing he had done enough to justify an offer as they sought to strengthen their squad for domestic and continental commitments.

Polokwane City, though, maintained their interest in the player in the background and ultimately moved to secure his services before the new campaign kicks off.

Former Sundowns youngster targets further top-flight impact

Philander is known primarily for his pace and direct running from the left wing. Earlier in his career he was part of Mamelodi Sundowns’ DStv Diski Challenge set-up, where he first emerged as a promising wide player.

He made his breakthrough in the South African top flight during the 2024/25 season and will now look to build on that progress with Polokwane City. The upcoming league campaign, which begins this weekend, offers him a fresh opportunity to establish himself as a consistent performer at Premier Soccer League level.

While Durban City must now look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements ahead of their dual challenge in the CAF Confederation Cup and MTN8, Polokwane City have added a winger they have tracked for some time, bringing an end to one of the off-season’s more closely followed domestic transfer sagas.