Pirates are making a statement of intent

Orlando Pirates are making an early statement and making their intentions of gunning for Absa Premiership honours very clear in this current transfer window. The Buccaneers have already signed nine players and have promised more will arrive.

Of the acquisitions they have made, all those players are great individuals and are highly talented. The technical team wanted those players because they suit the coach’s philosophy and it is now for the players to find a way to adapt to the tactical and tech- nical demands of the club.

They need to adapt to playing for Pirates because it is not like playing for any other club, even though other clubs are big in their own right. Playing for the Buccaneers comes with lot of expectations and pressure both on and off the field. The players have the talent and are of high quality for a team of Pirates’ calibre.

What will be key from the technical team is the man-management in terms of keeping a happy camp. Milutin Sredovic will have a huge problem if he does not release a couple of players in order to have a lesser number of good players in his squad. Keeping a lot of big-name players might unsettle the dressing-room because some of the players have been performing well and would not want to feel like they are being discarded for the new boys.

This will be a test on how to manage a dressing-room because some of the players have developed big egos.

Since the Sea Robbers have alluded that they want to be competitive on the domestic front and in the Caf Champions League, they will indeed need to have a big squad and a bigger squad requires certain kinds of management skills in order to make sure all the players understand the philosophy and stay motivated.

With those nine signings made by Pirates, one cannot help but look at the other side of the fence – Pirates’ rivals Kaizer Chiefs. Amakhosi have been quiet and it is worrying for a club of Chiefs’ calibre to not make their intentions known at this early stage, especially with the team having been under pressure.

You would expect that first and foremost, they would have addressed the case of the coach immediately after the conclusion of the 2017/18 season.

This is key because the coach would have had some time to have an idea of how the team is made up and he would decide on the kind of players he would want to keep or let go, and those he would want to recruit to fit his philosophy.

Leaving the appointment of the coach to the last hour, it will be very difficult to deal with the challenges that have been created

by Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, who have signed Andile Jali ahead of Chiefs. Personally, I would have loved Jali to have gone to Chiefs but for reasons that we don’t know, they couldn’t secure his services.

Right now most of the teams are starting to finalise their squads which will make it difficult for Chiefs to get the players they want. The Glamour Boys are running the risk of not getting quality in the market because everyone is making their move and snapping up all the good players.

Before the season ends, some of the teams identify their challenges and what their plans are for the next season and they are already implementing them. I am really concerned with Chiefs’ slow pace in the market and also in hiring a coach.