After making recent decisions on two of their players, Orlando Pirates are believed to be considering the future of a defender, whose current contract runs until June 2026.
Insiders at the club have indicated that with the potential signing of right-back Thabang Matuludi from Polokwane City, Pirates may be exploring the possibility of opening room in their squad by either loaning out Bandile Shandu or letting him go.
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The Siya crew learned that a decision regarding Shandu is expected before the end of this month to facilitate Matuludi's potential integration into the team, if he signs for Bucs.
"The impending arrival of Thabang Matuludi is what will affect Bandile Shandu and his position at the club. They kept him when there was only Thabiso Monyane at right back and after signing Deon Van Rooyen they were monitoring Shandu as he was coming from an injury and that's when he was given a two-year extension on his contract which expired in June 2024. The current contract he has will expire in June 2026. But with the imminent signing of Matuludi the club are looking at the next move for Shandu as they are also cutting on the squad numbers. That's why his future is in limbo at the moment," the Siya source stated.
A second insider mentioned that the club is considering loaning Shandu out until the end of the season before making a final decision.
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"For now they want to loan him out since his contract is only expiring in June 2026. So with that in mind, they want him to go on loan and make the final decision at the end of the season. But after releasing Sandile Mthethwa and loaning out Katlego Otladisa there are few more movements still expected at the club," the second insider told the Siya crew.
Shandu had his standout season in 2021/22 after joining from Maritzburg United, playing all 30 league games.
However, his appearances have decreased over time, featuring in not many games last season, and he is yet to appear in this campaign after recovering from injury.
As Pirates navigate their squad restructuring, Shandu's future hangs in the balance. The club's strategic decisions on player movements will dictate his next steps, ensuring Bucs maintain a balanced and competitive roster going forward.
Soccer Laduma contacted Pirates for comment but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
