Former Orlando Pirates winger Lebohang ‘Cheeseboy’ Mokoena has given his take on coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s plan to unleash Sifiso Luthuli in the second half of the Betway Premiership season, saying Tshegofatso Mabasa’s shoes may be too big to fill.
As reported across local media prior to the 2025 AFCON hiatus, Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou had seemingly closed the door on new arrivals, declaring that the club would no longer scan the market for a frontline attacker. Following a standout performance in the Carling Cup, Ouaddou hailed debutant hero Luthuli as the solution to the Buccaneers’ scoring needs—a sentiment backed up by goals from both Luthuli and Boitumelo Radiopane in a 2-0 win over the Carling All Stars on December 13.
However, in a strategic shift, the Soweto giants confirmed the arrival of Andre de Jong from Stellenbosch FC on Monday. The versatile New Zealander offers a different dimension to the Bucs’ attack, capable of operating as an attacking midfielder, a ‘shadow striker’ playing just behind a traditional number nine and a forward.
“For me, it’s a 50-50 case,” Mokoena said on Soccer Beat. “Looking at the boy’s age [25], he is supposed to have already made his mark at Orlando Pirates.
“He got there around the 2019/20 season, starting from Pele Pele FC [Orlando Pirates’ feeder team in the ABC Motsepe League] and the DStv Diski Challenge [DDC]. The coach who worked with him there, Bushy Moloi, spoke highly of him.
SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON IS HIGH-RISK FOR ORLANDO PIRATES TO MAKE THE INTRODUCTION
“For him, he is not yet ready to fill in those boots,” Mokoena continued. “You can’t compare Luthuli with Mabasa. He still needs to raise his hand to say he is here to score goals. As much as he is a versatile player who can play as a 10 or a hold-up striker.
Mokoena admitted that he has not seen much of Luthuli. He has watched a couple of games in his development and has spoken to [Joseph] Makhanya [former Orlando Pirates DDC coach].
“For me, it is going to take a bit of time. The way this ship is sailing, you need a ready-made player to come in and fill those Mabasa boots by scoring goals,” added Mokoena. “Not a player that will come in during the second round of the season. There is more pressure with games coming in thick and fast. It will be difficult for a player coming in who needs to adjust. I don’t think the timing is right. Maybe at the beginning of the season, it would have been easier. Also, maybe the coaches know him better and what he has shown during training with the first team.
“Maybe he will offer a different dimension. Perhaps he can be a surprise. You can’t write off any player. He could just come in there and start scoring goals. It will be a matter of him getting the chance. Let’s hope he will grab it. Let’s see if the coaches will give him a chance in a competitive game.”
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