Orlando Pirates are set to make a decision on their attacking front-line on the back of recent goalscoring struggles by their strikers despite the club enjoying a successful campaign.
Pirates started out the campaign with Bienvenu Eva Nga, Kwame Peprah, Kermit Erasmus, Terrence Dzvukamanja, Ndumiso Mabena, and Evidence Makgopa while Monnapule Saleng delivered playing off the shoulders of the strikers and has now been the subject of interest from the Gulf Region.
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Besides Saleng leading with an avalanche of goals Dzvukamanja was able to turn around his fortunes from being a villain into a hero to walk into the off-season with pride after eight goals (plus two goals) in 19 appearances in the second half of the season.
Dzvukamanja has a sensitive contract issue to iron out at Pirates first at the back of interest from SuperSport United.
Eva Nga scored once in 15 appearances, and such was his fall that in the last 25 games played by Pirates his share of game time was only 76 minutes.
This was a poor return from the Cameroonian.
After a promising first season in which he scored nine goals leading to interest from Al Ahli Tripoli who offered USD500 000 (approx. R9 million), Peprah was expected to improve.
With that offer turned down the Ghana striker fizzled out and halfway through the season was shipped out to Maritzburg United.
At that time, he had no goal to his name from six appearances.
At Maritzburg, Peprah scored once and has now gone home uncertain about his future though realty is that he is no longer needed at Pirates.
With what has happened in the last year it will be difficult for The Bucs to get any offer near the USD150 000 (approx. R2,7 million) that they paid in signing Peprah from Ghana club King Faisal two years ago.
Erasmus has always had the football brains which is why Pirates brought him back.
The veteran striker's return of four goals (plus five assists) from 25 appearances last season is nowhere near prolific but he remains an influential factor in the squad.
Pirates will keep him as he will come in handy in the CAF Champions League.
How Mabena came to be resigned at Pirates at the beginning of 2023 as he neared his 36th birthday will remain a mystery.
At the end of the campaign, Mabena had played once – 15 minutes – without scoring.
Maybe his experience at training and in the dressing room matters more than the minutes that he gets on match day.
Then with Makgopa it was disappointing that he had no goal in his first season at Pirates.
For a man who was getting considered for Bafana Bafana, this will not argue well for him whether he was injured or not.
The 23-year-old needs to pull up his socks.
Cameroonian Souaibou Maou has yet to do much having only played 45 minutes from his five appearances.
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