The story behind the scenes

Pirates leading the race at this point

With Pirates desperately in search of silverware, they have shown a desire to bring the best players on board. A common thread for the Soweto giants has been their pursuit of pacey, tricky wingers, of which Otladisa ticks all the boxes. The Houghtonbased side appear to have a good working relationship with Gallants, having signed two of their top performers in Timm and Ndlondlo already, and will be banking on that good standing relationship if they do make another approach for Otladisa’s services. The Buccaneers have in recent times been more reluctant to fork out transfer fees for their target, which could prove to be a stumbling block. However, the club have shown that they are willing to spend a transfer fee for a player who fits the club’s ambitions, as in the case of Gallants captain Ndlondlo. In addition, history has shown that Pirates’ squad depth often means that they could offer a player or two to sweeten the deal.

Would he be the right fit for Chiefs?

Chiefs were presented with the opportunity to sign him when he was offered to the club during the era of Hunt. However, with the coach’s ill-fated stint having a short time span, talk of a potential deal died down, with the player subsequently signing for Gallants. Chiefs are in a rebuilding process and have been aggressive in the transfer market bringing eight new players, some from rival clubs. With a majority of their new recruits, they gave a signal of intent as they forked out as in the case of Ashley Du Preez, for whom they are understood to have forked out over R10 million. In Arthur Zwane, Amakhosi have a coach who is a firm believer in local talent and that the game should be played in a certain way. It must be taken into consideration that during his playing days, Zwane himself was a marauding winger who created a name for himself with his mazey runs and deft crosses, in a very similar mould to Otladisa. With Zwane looking to rebuild his squad, Otladisa could be a shoo-in for right-hand side of the Glamour Boys’ attack. As things stand, they lag behind Pirates in the race, with their Soweto rivals holding the upper hand. However, a big-money offer from Chiefs could sway matters in their favour and see them leapfrog Bucs into pole position for the player’s signature.

European move a possibility?

At the age of 26, a move overseas for Otladisa could not be ruled out completely at this stage, although it is unlikely. Despite being on the scene for the last five years, he only started playing regular football in the 2021/22 season at Gallants and will be focused on getting enough top-flight experience under his belt, meaning that a potential move to Europe could be on the backburner for now. At this stage of his career, it would be very difficult for Otladisa to break into one of Europe’s top leagues, although countries like Cyprus, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark could be an option for the player. It is unlikely that he would make the switch, however, as salaries paid in the PSL are often equivalent and at times more than what some clubs in the lower leagues pay in Europe.