Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says Relebohile Mofokeng is one of their major players and is hopeful that he remains at the club for this season.
Mofokeng, 20, has emerged as one of the leading talents in South African football and one of the first names on the Pirates team sheet, in a meteoric rise to stardom since his arrival from the School of Excellence in August 2022, where he first joined the reserve team.
However, he’s been strongly linked with a move to Isreal and Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq, the club that secured the services of his Mohau Nkota from the Buccaneers last month.
Mofokeng played the full 90 minutes in their MTN8 quarter-final win over Polokwane City this past weekend, and seems very much still in the plans of the club this season, which their new head coach echoed.
“Well I read this news as well, with such a talented player, of course it attracts a lot of clubs, but I trust my board, I trust the club, because he’s definitely one of our major players this season, we need him, to compete in the highest level, we need these kinds of players in our team,” Ouaddou said, when asked by iDiski Times about Mofokeng’s future.
“As a coach I’m still confident [we can keep him] but you never know in football what can happen, but right now I’m confident, since I have not received any information [that he will be leaving] but definitely… I hope he will stay with us, but we will see.”
Mofokeng has won back to back Young Player of the Year honours at the annual Premier Soccer League awards, and has amassed 90 games for the club, with 18 goals and 22 assists, since being promoted from their DStv Diski Challenge squad in 2023.