With talks between Orlando Pirates and Rulani Mokwena believed to have been happening in recent days, on Monday morning the Buccaneers announced former Marumo Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou as their new mentor.
Soccer Laduma had reported that Rulani Mokwena was a serious contender for Pirates, but the situation dragged on with Bucs requiring to start pre-season preparations for their European tour. Bucs play their first game against Bolton Wanderers on 11 July in Spain.
While the Siya crew reported Pirates were talking to Mokwena with very few individuals having knowledge of the situation, on the weekend other media became confident that a deal between Bucs and the former Wydad coach was close.
When Ouaddou was announced as the new coach instead, this left many wondering what happened between Pirates and Mokwena.
READ: What's Happening As Pirates Technical Team Leader Linked With Al Ahly?
A stakeholder close to the club has indicated that one of the reasons Mokwena is not the Pirates coach is believed to be because of the technical team.
"Rulani (Mokwena) wanted to bring in his own bench. That didn't work out. It is part of the reason for the change," the source told Soccer Laduma.
An insider close to Pirates stated that there's still a respectable relationship between Mokwena and Bucs, despite them not coming to an agreement.
"There was interest in coach Mokwena from other clubs and it's believed that Pirates wanted to give him that chance and they were looking at other coaches as well who could suit their criteria and they found one," the second source told the Siya crew, noting how Pirates also want the best for Mokwena.
In recent weeks Mokwena was linked to the likes of Pyramids FC, Yanga SC and Zamalek, though he did rule himself out of the running for the latter Egyptian team. Whatever the situation was with other clubs and Mokwena, there should also be Pirates' perspective on what happened.
READ: Former Teammate Tells Lorch To Go To 'Greater Heights'
"You know what was happening was a tricky situation. You recall I told you that only the hierarchy of the club was talking to Rulani? Then it came to light that they won't go for him. They had their own reasons why they had to look at other coaches. Yes, it's believed that the club hierarchy was talking to him but at the end of the day they made their decision and Rulani was not the one," the second source added.
Moroccan coach Ouaddou had resigned from Marumo Gallants recently and was initially linked to Chippa United before his surprise appointment at Orlando Stadium.
Soccer Laduma contacted Pirates on the Mokwena situation but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
The appointment of Ouaddou over the anticipated return of Mokwena represents a significant plot twist in what can be one of the transfer window's most discussed moves going forward.
How quickly Ouaddou can adapt to the demands of coaching one of South Africa's biggest clubs will likely define the early narrative around this appointment.
