A significant administrative development has dramatically altered the future prospects of a striker who was seemingly on his way out, potentially complicating matters for Kaizer Chiefs who were linked with his services.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, the Mamelodi Sundowns were initially set to release one of their strikers who was on loan, but now with him qualifying to be registered as a local in South Africa, the club is open to keeping him as his presence won't disturb their foreign quota.
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An insider with intimate knowledge of the situation at Sundowns has indicated that Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro is believed to be the player who can now be registered as a local, and with various interested parties, Sundowns can then cash in on the player, if he were to leave in future.
This would mean that any team, such as Amakhosi, interested in the striker, would be expected to buy him from Sundowns as he won't be available for free anymore.
"Since he still has a contract with Sundowns what they are planning to do now is register him as a local next season instead of releasing him and make some cash by selling him to any team that is interested in him. Yes, they were planning to just release him but with him obtaining his Permanent Residence Permit (PRP) he can be registered as a local and that eases the foreign quota problems for Sundowns or any other team which would sign him from Sundowns as he will be registered as a local player," the second insider revealed.
Meanwhile, a second Sundowns insider with oversight of player status matters further stated that the Nigerian is expected to join Sundowns in pre-season training when the team returns from the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA.
"For now he is still a Mamelodi Sundowns player. He still has a contract until June 2026. All the players who were on loan and those who haven't traveled with the squad but are still contracted to the club have been advised to join the team for pre-season training and he is one of them. Apparently now that he has his PRP the situation changes for him. It's like a stroke of luck for him to be registered as a local player from now on," the second source told the Siya crew.
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Despite joining the Brazilians in 2021 on a five-year contract, the 23-year-old is yet to play for his mother club. He has spent loan spells at University of Pretoria, Chippa United, SuperSport United, and last season at AmaZulu where he scored goals while participating in nearly all the matches.
Apart from Chiefs, other clubs like Orlando Pirates, Sekhukhune United, AmaZulu FC, and Russian side FC Baltika are all believed to have shown interest in the 23-year-old striker.
This development represents a significant shift in Ighodaro's market value, turning him from a potential free agent into a bigger asset. For interested clubs, particularly Chiefs and Pirates, the prospect of paying a transfer fee rather than just offering personal terms dramatically changes the financial equation.
The PRP status also makes him more valuable to all potential suitors as he would no longer occupy a foreign slot, potentially intensifying competition for his signature despite the added cost.
