Tau’s move must not be a story of frustration and stagnation

● The general goodwill with which football folk have greeted the completion of Percy Tau’s transfer from Mamelodi Sundowns to Brighton & Hove Albion is telling.

It speaks volumes about the thirst of South Africans to see one of their own plying his trade in one of the best leagues in the world.

The record transfer — R50-million — provides Tau with a glorious opportunity to continue his pursuit of excellence.

His upward trajectory has seen him win truckloads of trophies (five to be precise) in three years of professional football.

It is akin to what Kylian Mbappe achieved in two years — winning the league with Monaco two seasons ago and a treble with Paris Saint Germain in the season past, not to mention the World Cup.

Before you shower me with a barrage of brickbats, this is in no way a comparison.

At 19 Mbappe is a teenager, which 201718’s PSL Player of the Season Tau is not at 24.

The exciting thing about the move is that it places a welcome weight on Tau to challenge himself to further fulfil his incredible potential now that he has obtained his coveted trek to Europe.

Some have scoffed at the news that Brighton manager Chris Hughton says they will loan Tau out for the 2018-19 season. It is a step back they’ve stated.

The excellent news is that Tau has proved in the past that he thrives when confronted with challenges.

They’ve forgotten that Tau thrives when he comes across such challenges.

He went a tier down to the National First Division when he couldn’t quite crack it in the Downs first team.

Upon return after a season with Witbank Spurs, he was wiser, sharper and certainly deadlier as he contributed immensely to Sundowns establishing a dominance from Cape to Cairo.

A word of caution. Tau must work tirelessly to avoid the situation that befell Bongani Khumalo.

A multiple PSL champion, Khumalo signed a four-year contract with Tottenham Hotspur after the 2010 World Cup.

He was shipped out on loan to Preston North End, Reading, PAOK, Doncaster Rovers, Colchester United, and never made enough of an impression at those clubs.

The former Bafana Bafana captain didn’t manage to make much of an impression.

To be fair to Khumalo though, his spells away from Spurs were ravaged by a succession of bad injuries.

When his contract ran out he returned to South Africa to rejoin SuperSport without having played a competitive game for the Lillywhites of London.

There are a dime a dozen of Tau’s countrymen who are unable to hold their own in foreign climes.

Even a teabag stays longer in a cup than some of them.

Lebogang Manyama is the latest who is having a torrid time in Turkey.

Andile Jali has buzzed off Belgium to join Sundowns.

But Tau should take courage from the fact that the two who foraged to foreign fields from Sundowns before him — Bongani Zungu and Keagan Dolly — have not joined the returnees brigade but are fighting fit in European fields. Tau’s move must not turn out to be a tale of frustration and stagnation.

His goal should be to get into the Brighton reckoning as soon as possible and be the only South African showcasing his amazing skills in one of the top leagues in the world.