The lefty has been in and out of Bucs’ matchday squad this season, and has often been a noticeable absentee from the team’s training sessions.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

An experienced football agent has divulged that Monnapule Saleng was denied an opportunity to leave Orlando Pirates for an overseas club after enjoying a successful 2022/23 season.

The speedy winger was heavily linked with United Arab Emirates side Al Nasr in July 2023 a few months after he was named PSL Player’s Player of the Season, but the move never materialized.

Rui Frois, who is an agent in both the local and international markets, revealed what transpired between Al Nasr and Pirates with the Asian side said to have offered Saleng a tax-free package of at least $700 000 (R13,4 million) in his first year with the club.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I had a meeting about Saleng with a top-ranking Pirates official in Hyde Park,” Frois told KickOff.

“Those talks happened after the season in which he scored 15 goals. However, at that meeting, I was told that he was not for sale because he was the main player in the team at the time. The Gulf Region team was serious about Saleng and wanted to give him a good contract.

“My close contact, who is an agent in the UAE, tasked me with doing this deal here in South Africa and since he wasn’t a player in our stable, we did what we had to do in contacting the club after also contacting some people that we were told worked with him,” he continued.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t proceed, and it is sad that the boy is no longer enjoying as much game-time now.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Saleng has never been the same since the local 2023 winter transfer window as the 26-year-old was a shadow of his former self in the 2023/24 season.

The former Free State Stars player scored just three goals in 17 PSL matches for the Buccaneers compared to the 11 he netted in 22 league games in the previous campaign which earned him several personal accolades.

Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has indicated that Saleng has missed matches due to ‘personal issues’ and the Bloemhof-born player has featured in three league games this term and netted twice in the process.

The last time Saleng was part of the Bucs matchday squad was on 7 December against Al Ahly and he has since missed six matches without a valid reason being given by the club regarding his absence.

WHAT NEXT?

Pirates are preparing for Saturday’s top-of-the-Group C-log clash against Al Ahly in the Caf Champions League.

It remains to be seen whether Saleng will be part of Bucs’ traveling party with the match set to be played at Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.