On his day, Orlando Pirates star Saleng is the best player in South Africa
Life comes at you fast .
Orlando Pirates need to manage Monnapule Saleng smartly in the coming months, otherwise they’ll have egg on their faces.
2022-2023 was a scintillating campaign for Saleng
Saleng produced a dazzling output of 15 goals and 11 assists from 30 appearances across all competitions in 2022-2023 to be crowned PSL Player of the Year. 2023-2024 didn’t reach those heights but class, as they say, is permanent. He was easily the best player in South Africa, by a mile. In October 2022, he bagged a match-winning brace in a 3-0 win against Sundowns in the MTN8 final. There’s no doubt that Saleng loves big games.
A good record for Orlando Pirates against Chiefs
Saleng scored a match-winning brace against Kaizer Chiefs in March 2024 even though he was in the wilderness and seemingly frozen out of the club at that time.
2024-2025 has been a shocker
Saleng started this campaign well with five goals in 13 outings, including a strike in the MTN8 final, but the second half of 2024-2025 has been a horror show for the player. He hasn’t played a single competitive minute since the turn of the year. Ironically, his last minutes in a Pirates jersey came in a Caf Champions League group stage match against Al Ahly in early December, the club that tried to sign him. It’s been revealed that ‘personal reasons’ are behind his exile in 2025, not issues owing to fitness. He’s been away with a Bafana Bafana CHAN qualifier side for a two-legged battle with Egypt. After starting the first leg which ended 1-1, Saleng has been released from the squad and returns to Pirates.
What will the Orlando Pirates board decide to do?
After hesitating to sell Monnapule Saleng, and with all possible suitors knowing he’s unhappy at the club, that will certainly drive his price down. Pirates’ bargaining position is significantly weakened. The player’s reluctance to stay is a big issue, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a good sum for the 26-year-old. The record departure in Pirates history was €2.3 million (R44 million) when Mbulelo ‘Oldjohn’ Mabizela moved to Tottenham in 2003-2004. It’s unlikely the Sea Robbers can fetch a number in that region, but there’s no reason why the 2022-2023 PSL Player of the Year shouldn’t command a decent fee. They should be looking to recover at least half (R22 million) especially if they can bring Sundowns to the market. The main question there is, do they want to strengthen a rival? Can Kaizer Chiefs afford him?
What next in the Saleng saga?
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