Bucs look to west Africa to ease pain
Ndah, Peprah come amid high expectations
Orlando Pirates have signaled their intent to rise from their ruins by adding two highly rated foreign players in Nigerian centre-back Olisah Ndah and Ghanaian striker Kwame Peprah.
Ndah and Peprah join the Buccaneers from their native clubs Akwa United and King Faisal United respectively. The 23-year-old Ndah comes to SA as a champion after playing a crucial role in Akwa’s first ever Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) title last season. Both recruits have penned three-year deals.
Last season, the towering Nigerian defender made the NPFL team of the season for the second season running, earning his maiden Super Eagles cap when they were thumped 4-0 by Mexico in a friendly in April last year.
On the other hand, Peprah, who’s only 20 years old, appears to be a proven scorer, having netted an impressive 12 goals and garnered 10 assists from 21 appearances for Faisal last term. With the tried and tested centre-backs at Pirates such as Thulani Hlatshwayo and Ntsikelelo Nyauza having been poor in the last few months, Ndah could be a solution to the club’s defensive woes. In the picture, there’s still Kwanda Mngonyama, who was signed as a free agent before the start of the season.
However, the Nigerian’s arrival is also expected to blunt the growth of promising centre-halves in 24-year-old Sandile Mthethwa and Thabiso Sesane, who’s three years younger, unless the Sea Robbers loan the duo out.
As Zakhele Lepasa battles to recover from a groin injury he sustained last December and Tshegofatso Mabasa also proving to be injury prone of late, Pirates have been forced to use winger Deon Hotto as a false striker for a while now, with Gabadinho Mhango usually the only fit natural striker. So Peprah is a welcome addition.
Pirates administrator Floyd Mbele thanked Akwa and Faisal for handling the transfers of the players professionally. “I would like to personally thank both Akwa United and King Faisal for the professional manner that they handled these transaction,’’ said Mbele on Bucs’ website yesterday.