With Sekhukhune United striker Christian Ohizu reported to be on the radar of Orlando Pirates, the Siya crew’s resident secret agent has weighed in on the matter.
Ohizu’s bright start to his maiden season in the DStv Premiership has seen him gain a number of suitors who are looking at luring him away from Sekhukhune United, with Pirates believed to be among those keen on his services.
However, as reported by the Siya crew in edition 1257 of Soccer Laduma, indications are that the striker would prefer a move to Europe as opposed to staying in Mzansi if an approach is made to Babina Noko for his services.
Now, a football intermediary with extensive background in the field and having worked on several deals across many of the Premier Soccer League clubs has revealed why he thinks the Nigerian should opt for a move to the Buccaneers instead.
“I don’t think at this moment Ohizu is ready to move to Europe. It will be good for him if the deal to Pirates does materialize. It will be good for him to have a season or two with Pirates before taking the step to Europe because at this point in time, with all due respect to Sekhukhune, they are not at a level where you can take a player who is really ready to compete. He is not 18 or 20, he is in his 20s and when a player is moving to a European club in his 20s, he must be ready. The teams don’t have the luxury of time to prepare him. Usually, European teams will take a player who is 18, 19 or 20 because they have two to three years to prepare him and bring him to his peak, but when a player is from Africa and he is already into his 20s, he has to be fully ready that when you get there, you have to hit the ground running and I don’t think he’s at that position now, given that this is his first season in the PSL,” the secret agent explained..
“Moving to Pirates now will be a very good move for his career because he already has a season in the PSL, he can add value to Orlando Pirates, given that he knows the terrain and a team the size of Pirates will be able to prepare him for a career in Europe.
“You see what happened to Percy Tau for example, Percy left South Africa as the best player in the country, he was already a full international and won the CAF Champions League, but when he got to Europe, he struggled. The reason was because he was already 24 when he got there. Now, if Percy Tau was fortunate to move as early as Benni McCarthy, Thulani Serero or Steven Pienaar did, he would have been able to attain a certain level because the team will be patient to prepare him. Now if you look at Ohizu, it depends on what part of Europe he moves to. I deal with players moving from Africa to Europe, so I understand everything about what European coaches need in an African player and what they want out of it. Ohizu is 25 now, by the time you take him to Europe next season, he’ll be 26, which is old. But he can give Pirates something and they can also help him, because they are a big club. If he plays there consistently for two seasons, he can play anywhere in the world. ”
View the rest of the Pirates youngsters currently out on loan!
