The night before, I couldn’t sleep

We spoke to Otladisa’s agent Nimrod Mbhalati, who opened up on the intricacies of the deal when the player moved from Limpopo at the beginning of the season and how daunting it was having to go into negotiations with a club as massive as Pirates.

Delmain Faver: As a young agent, would you say this is one of the biggest deals you’ve secured in your career so far?

Nimrod Mbhalati:

I can pretty much say so because, to be honest, it was my first time doing a deal like that with a big team like Orlando Pirates. Obviously, every agent, whether you are young or old, big or small, you dream of doing deals with teams like Pirates. With me and “Dox”, it was an emotional one because of where we come from...

DF: Meaning? NM:

When I first got Dox, remember he was unemployed, and then when we first met, we spoke about him getting back into the system. It sounded too good to be true to his ears, but then I assured him that he was a good player and that he didn’t deserve to be where he was at the time. He needed to go back to elite football. We achieved that and then he played good football at Gallants and then from there, when a team like Pirates came knocking, it was a dream come true for us. I personally believed that Dox would get a better team, but it came sooner than expected.

DF: How did it happen? NM:

Choosing Pirates over the rest was a simple decision. You know why? Because there were rumours that a lot of teams were looking for the signature of the boy, but Pirates showed more interest, and the professionalism, the way they approached us was breathtaking. You couldn’t say no to the approach of the Pirates management, especially Mr. Mpumi Khoza because he is a humble man. So, the way they did things… and remember he is on a long-term contract, so what Pirates offered the boy was irresistible.

DF: During negotiations, you had to sit across the table from Mpumi and Nkosana Khoza and even possibly the chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza. What was that like for you?

NM:

To be quite honest with you, the night before, I couldn’t sleep. I had goosebumps because they called and said, “Look, we are closing the deal tomorrow” because the deal was going on for about a month-and-ahalf, back and forth. Remember, Dox was contracted to Gallants, so there were those administration processes, which I was not part of. But when the deal eventually came to an end, they said, “No, look, come to the office tomorrow. Bring the boy. Just come and close this thing and get done with (it).” I couldn’t believe it, and I think I was more anxious than the actual guy who was about to sign. He was also excited and when we got to the offices, it was a big thing for us. When we got there, the Pirates management made us feel at home and then my nerves were calm and then we started speaking. I thought it was going to be difficult back-to-back conversations… you know how negotiations go. But to be quite honest, we didn’t even take five minutes, to be precise, for us to conclude the deal and then from there, we stayed for, like, an hour speaking about life in general because I had brought the brother (Lehlohonolo Otladisa) as well. They made up their mind before we even got there because when I said, “We want this and that”, Mr. Mpumi said, “Yes, it’s okay, let’s go for that.” So, I expected them to be hard, but it was very simple.

DF: Incredible insight. So, what have you made of how Otladisa has adjusted to life at Bucs?

NM:

Look, I know there’s been a lot of talk about his game-time at Pirates. Personally, I feel like I never expected Dox to have the minutes that he has been given at Pirates when there has been injuries here and there. So, he’s been settling and then he’s being taken care of under (a) good management and technical team. So, for me, so far, so good. There’s no hurry. He’s been trying to acclimatize to the environment of a big team and his time will come. Remember, Dox’s contract is a long-term project for me, if I could put it like that, so there’s no pressure on the boy. I’m happy with his progress so far and with the performance that he has shown his fans and the Pirates family. I can’t say I’m satisfied, but I think he can do more because I know what Dox can do with his feet. I believe he’s gonna get a lot of game-time in the near future and he’s not even shaken about it. He’s not even worried. He’s working hard on a daily basis for him to get more game-time.

DF: What do you think he brings to the squad?

NM:

Dox is a direct winger. All the teams have wingers, but it’s rare to find a winger like Dox. So, I think he brings something different to Pirates. He is a modern footballer. He reminds me of Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu) and we don’t have those kind of players at the moment. He’s something different that a lot of the teams do not have. If you can make a list of the 10 top speedy wingers in South Africa, I think Katlego Otladisa can be there. He’s a fighter and he hates losing. You can see it in his facial expression when the team is losing and he can’t do anything to help the team.