Orlando Pirates defender Olisa Ndah. Picture: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
An insider in the Orlando Pirates has revealed that the club had a good offer for Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah, who is said to be on the wanted list of Italian club Sassuolo.
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According to the source, Sassuolo is not the only club that has shown interest in the defender and Pirates have previously been brushing the offers away because they did not want to lose the player just after one season of being with the DStv Premiership.
They may, however, be pushed to change their minds soon.
Ndah joined Pirates back in 2021 and his performances for the Buccaneers have been exceptional and led him to getting call-ups for the Nigerian senior men’s team – he even played in the last Caf Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
“He was not going to Pirates (originally) … his wish has always been to play abroad,” a source told the Mgosi Squad.
“Coming to Pirates was just his passage to go to Europe. He attracted a lot of interest in his first few games with the club and already the management knew that he was not going to last. Sassuolo have offered them (Pirates) good money for his services, I don’t think any team would want to decline it.”
“It is really a good offer and the club is willing to let him go, but obviously they won’t just let him go without having plans for a replacement. The club was struggling center-backs for a long time and after finding Ndah things became better. There is also Tapelo Xoki and Nkosinathi Sibisi, but what happens when something goes wrong with one of them? So, those are some of the things that the club is looking for. There needs to be a proper replacement, and it is going to be tough to find someone like him (Ndah).”
Pirates are already being linked with a possible return of Abboubaker Mobara from AmaZulu FC to be a replacement for Ndah should he leave during this transfer window.
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