It has been more than two years since Happy Jele surprisingly parted ways with Orlando Pirates, but indications are that the door has not officially closed for him at the club.
In July 2022, Pirates announced that Jele was leaving the club after 16 years with the team where he was also the captain and the long-serving member of the squad.
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The Buccaneers referred to the veteran defender as the club's 'future Hall of Famer' in announcing the news of his exit.
At the time, the Soweto giants confirmed that they had the intentions of keeping the Middelburg-born player at the club though in a non-playing capacity.
However, the centre-back wanted to continue playing and opted to leave.
In February last year, the 37-year-old signed with Royal AM although his spell in KwaZulu-Natal wasn't for long as he left the club at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Jele has been unattached since while differing reports persisted that he might have retired from professional football, while others have suggested that he hasn't officially hung his boots.
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In recent weeks, Jele has been a regular attendee at Pirates' home matches in Orlando and has been seen dressed in the club's colours, with sources indicating that a return to the club could be on the cards for him.
"He is a legend at the club and his return won't be a surprise. That cannot be ruled out. Pirates are like a home for him. You must remember that he was offered a position at the club but at the time he wanted to first assess his options as a player elsewhere. Now that it looks like he will be retiring, a reunion can't be ruled out. He has already been attending the team's matches and functions and that's the direction you can expect him to take going forward," said the source.
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