A move that was meant to take Thembinkosi Lorch's career to the next level has actually seen the player regressing in the space of 12 months.
In January last year, Lorch made the big move from Soweto giants Orlando Pirates to join Mamelodi Sundowns on deadline day, making it the biggest transfer of the window period at the time. Lorch immediately joined his teammates for a camp in Polokwane while the PSL was on a break due to the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
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When local football resumed, the 31-year-old made his debut against his former club Pirates at Loftus on February 17, playing 61 minutes in a Premiership match. He made his CAF Champions League debut seven days later, providing an assist in a 2-0 victory over Mauritanian outfit Nouadhibou FC.
It was a fairly good start to life at Sundowns and, with the backing of coach Rulani Mokwena, he had reason to look forward to the future. He scored his first goals for Sundowns in a Nedbank Cup last 16 clash against Maritzburg United, netting a brace as the Tshwane giants cruised to a 3-0 win.
Things were looking good for the player popularly known as 'Nyoso', but a controversy off the field put Lorch in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
At the time, Mokwena did not want to publicly speak about the matter, but ruled Lorch out of the Nedbank Cup final, due to an injury he picked up during that period.
Despite everything, Lorch finally got to win his first league title as a professional when Sundowns clinched a seventh consecutive championship crown.
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Mokwena's departure after the end of the 2023/24 season changed things for Lorch. The injury he picked up before the end of last season kept him out of the pre-season tour of Austria, as other players in the team had an opportunity to impress then head coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
Mngqithi made it clear that Lorch had to work hard to get back into the team and he finally got to make his first appearance this season when he came on as a late substitute in the opening Betway Premiership match of the campaign against SuperSport United. His only goal of the campaign so far was scored against Mbabane Swallows in the Champions League first round.
He's made one appearance since Miguel Cardoso took over as coach, as a late substitute against Raja Casablanca.
With the January transfer window closing tomorrow, Lorch is linked with an exit. Should he leave, it's a year he might not want to remember.
