It's a crucial time of the season for Orlando Pirates defender Olisa Ndah, who will soon get to find out if his dream of playing in Europe will materialise. Indications are that an overseas move will be made before the start of next season, but there are a lot of factors to be considered before everything is signed, sealed and delivered. The dreadlocked player's long-term injury has affected his progress and interest, especially from Italy, appears to have died down quite a bit. Soccer Laduma investigates the Nigerian's situation with the Soweto giants.
What The Siya Crew Has Been Told
Now that the PSL season is about to end, the future of Olisa Ndah will be a big part of the discussions at Orlando Pirates' Houghton offices, with the possibility of an exit for the Nigerian international. The lanky defender has endured a difficult season of injury with the club, spending more time on the sidelines than he actually has on the pitch and this, in fact, affected his chances of possibly making a move abroad during the January transfer window. According to information received by the Siya crew, there was genuine interest in the player from Sweden before the January transfer window, while Italian Serie A side Sassuolo were also monitoring his situation. With his injury, however, things may have taken a bit of a turn. Interest from Italy appears to have died down right now and chances of him joining Sassuolo are not as high as they might have been a few months ago. But that does not mean a move abroad is not a possibility in the next transfer window period. It's understood that Ndah's move to European shores is still on the cards, but the big concern from the 25-year-old's camp is that he does not have enough game-time under his belt in recent months, which means suitors from abroad would rely on what they've seen from him before he sustained an injury. A lot of the interest in Ndah came from the Buccaneers' CAF Confederation Cup campaign last season, when they went all the way to the final. Soccer Laduma has established that the former Akwa United man will have one year remaining on his contract with the Soweto giants after this season and indications are that the club could look to cash in on offers that come from Europe, especially because the Nigerian is 25 and has the potential to have a long career abroad. The challenge for Ndah, however, has been the injury he picked up after the Soweto Derby in February, which is the last time he, in fact, featured for the side. He returned from a long lay-off as a substitute in the biggest fixture on the South African football calendar and suffered the pain of scoring an own goal on his return to the team. He played 25 minutes in that game and has not featured since then, raising concerns over whether or not he had fully recovered going into that encounter. It's understood that Ndah may have been rushed back from injury and was immediately affected after the Soweto Derby, putting him in a difficult situation of being out for longer. During his time out with an injury, the former Nigerian U23 player has missed out on opportunities to play for the national team, which would have given him a lot more exposure on the international scene and perhaps even increased his value. But the last few months have been difficult for him and it's now up to Pirates to decide what happens next in his career. It's unclear, at this stage, when he will be back from injury and match-fit, so all of that will also be considered. Clubs in Europe do thorough checks when it comes to medicals, so Ndah's injury would have to show that it's not a recurring one, or else it could kill chances of him moving.
What Are The Facts?
Over the years, Pirates have not stood in the way of their imports making a move to Europe and it's not likely to be any different with Ndah, should a good offer come their way. The likes of Marshall Munetsi, Tendai Ndoro, Isaac Chansa and Onyekachi Okonkwo have all moved abroad after spending some time with the Buccaneers, which should give Ndah reason to believe that the Soweto giants would not make life difficult for him when it's time to make a move. With one year left on his contract, the club are weighing up the options at the moment and will be making a call on what happens next in the player's career. The Siya crew has it on good authority that Pirates are more than open to letting the lanky defender go to Europe and it's just about getting a formal offer from interested parties. Soccer Laduma tried to get hold of his agent, Mike Makaab, but he was not available for comment at the time of going to print.
The Story Behind The Scenes
Bucs Have A Long-Term Replacement
Losing Ndah would obviously not be easy for the Buccaneers, but his absence is not likely to be felt that much with Sandile Mthethwa recently raising his hand for a regular spot in the team. And after grabbing the winner in the Nedbank Cup semi-final against Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs recently, he has certainly shown that he is a centre-back they can rely on for the long-term, which is likely to give the club comfort were they to let go of Ndah. Tapelo Xoki and Nkosinathi Sibisi appear to be the trusted pairing in central defence, but captain Innocent Maela is another option for the club at left centre-back. He has played there before and shown to understand the role quite well, despite being a natural left back. Despite not having the dreadlocked star for a big part of the season, the Houghton-based outfit has performed fairly well without his on-field input. He has missed a total of 16 DSTV Premiership matches so far this season and the club has been on the losing side just once in that period.
Afcon Chances Fading?
With so much time spent on the sidelines through injury, Ndah will have a lot of catching up to do if he is to form part of the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year. If he does stay with Pirates next season, he would see Afcon as an opportunity to get into the team and possibly get some minutes to impress scouts that are going to be watching the competition. And with one more season left on his deal with the club, he would want as many opportunities as possible to get exposure to European scouts. Pirates are also guaranteed to play in one of the CAF club competitions next season, so he will get opportunities to get himself back on the big stage if he stays on.
A Former Player's Take…
Former Pirates Lucky Lekgwathi says it would make sense for the club to let the 25-year-old pursue his dream abroad if an offer were to come their way, because the Soweto giants would, in the end, also benefit from him moving. "Having Ndah in the team means that Pirates have depth, but if there is an opportunity to move abroad, I don't think they should block him, as long as the team benefits. It's not like a player leaving for free and the team does not benefit. If there is a team interested in him, they should let him go and that would obviously create space for someone else who can come in and fill in that gap," Lekgwathi said to the Siya crew. "Pirates still has Sibisi, Xoki and Mthethwa and Maela can also play centre back. So, even if Ndah leaves, Pirates would be able to compete and they have continued without Ndah over the last few months," added the former Bucs stalwart.
Secret Agent
The Siya crew spoke to a top agent in SA to get their expert opinion on Ndah's situation at Chiefs. For obvious reasons, the agent will remain anonymous.
"Looking at the situation, I think it would be best for Pirates to sell him to a European club so that they can cash in on him. It's easier for Nigerian players to go overseas because they have too many connections that side, so I think the best move would be for him to go overseas, which would allow for Pirates to cash in on him, and all parties would also benefit from it. "The player would benefit financially from playing in Europe and Pirates would benefit when there is a transfer fee. If Pirates bought him, then it means they would get their money back. But one thing about teams in Europe is that they do proper checks when they do medicals. If there is an underlying injury, they will pick it up and they won't sign you because you failed the medical. Because, if they sign someone who is injured, at the end of the day they will lose money. But for me, I think it would be best for Pirates to sell him to a European club and cash in."
Watch This Space
With the transfer market set to open from July, there will be a lot of talk about what happens next with Ndah. He may still be making his way back to full fitness, but it's believed that talks will happen about the Nigerian going abroad, which is what he wants for his career. It would come as no surprise if the Buccaneers were to cash in on him, with one year left on his contract.
