Bucs need to acquire another striker after Dzvukamanja exit

Following Terrence Dzvukamanja’s departure from Orlando Pirates earlier this week, erstwhile striker Andries Sebola is concerned as he feels the Buccaneers are thin in the forwards department.

Dzvukamanja joined SuperSport United where he has reunited with coach Gavin Hunt and this has left Bucs with Kermit Erasmus, Cameroonian Souaibou Marou, Zakhele Lepasa, Evidence Makgopa and Bienvenu Eva Nga as the team strikers.

Lepasa has just returned from a season loan spell at SuperSport United while another young and gifted Bucs striker, Boitumelo Radiopane, continues with his loan tenure at Cape Town Spurs. The 20-year-old  immensely helped Spurs to earn promotion to the DStv Premiership. 

With Erasmus having struggled to finish matches last season, Eva Nga failed dismally in his first season with the Soweto giants while Makgopa is battling with fitness and has yet to prove himself, Sebola feels it will be wise to add another striker to the team.

Dzvukamanja had a difficult beginning to the 2022-2023 campaign at Pirates, attracting boos from the stands, but hit form in the second part of the campaign, ending with eight goals in 19 appearances in all competitions and scored more goals than any of the forwards.

“I’m a little bit worried about the striking force at Pirates because if you can check now, Lepasa is back from SuperSport, but the coach [Jose Riveiro] didn’t believe in him and he is still there,” Sebola explained to Sowetan.

“Pirates will be playing in the Champions League and locally, so it will be taxing. Up front, they are lacking.

“They need to sign a striker. I’m sure they can find one in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. I think they can get two or three strikers because Kermit is still there, but he was not playing 90 minutes [last season].

“At times, they were substituting him because of his age and also the pressure that he is handling. So, the only thing they can do is to get another striker that will help them because even Makgopa was not getting enough game time due to the injury he got before.”

In their pre-season match against Spanish side UD Las Palmas where they played to a goalless draw yesterday, Riveiro started with Erasmus and Kabelo Dlamini up front.

Sebola believes Eva Nga and Erasmus should be partnered if they decide not to bring any striker even though he is still not convinced by the Cameroonian international.

“Eva Nga is a player that can play around Erasmus so he can hold the ball for them and Kermit comes in as a second striker,” he said.

“Even though the performance of Eva Nga was not convincing, that’s why supporters were booing him. So, I just hope they sign players because it is not going to be easy playing on the continent and locally.”