Shakira knows how it feels to arrive at Bucs with high expectations having been the first foreigner to win the Zimbabwean Soccer Star of the Year
Ex-Orlando Pirates midfielder Joseph ‘Shakira’ Kamwendo has urged his former club to be patient with Olisa Ndah and Kwame Peprah.
The Soweto giants recently acquired Ndah, 23, and Peprah, 20, from Nigerian outfit Akwa United and Ghanaian side King Faisal, respectively, during the South African winter transfer window.
Ndah, who is a Nigeria international, joined Bucs after helping Akwa clinch last season’s Nigerian Professional Football League title, while Ghana under-23 international Peprah impressed with his scoring ability in the Ghanaian Premier League.
With much expected from the duo at Pirates, Kamwendo, who was on the books of Buccaneers for four years having joined from Malawian club Might Wanderers, pointed out that patience will be key to the players’ success at the Houghton-based giants.
“Players coming to Pirates straight from other countries must be given time to know how things are done at the club,” Kamwendo told Sowetan.
“Pirates is a big club and it’s not easy to just come in and settle… it takes time.”
Touted as Pirates’ all-time leading goalscorer Benedict Vilakazi’s replacement when he arrived in 2007, Kamwendo struggled to cement his place in the team’s starting line-up and he was loaned out to Vasco Da Gama for the 2010/11 season, before being released by the club at the end of the same campaign.
The Malawian football legend, who is currently serving as Malawi national Under-20 side assistant coach, stated that foreign players should be loaned out if they struggle in their first season with the club.
“The only way to see if the player is good or not is by putting him on the pitch,” Kamwendo said having also had spells with Zimbabwean club CAPS United and DR Congolese giants TP Mazembe during his playing days.
“So I would urge the club to be patient with these kind of new players, maybe after one season you can loan him out if he’s not what you were thinking he is.”
Ndah will be hoping to emulate his countryman William Okpara, who achieved legendary status at Pirates and he is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers to have played in the PSL.
While Peprah will look to his compatriot Richard Ofori to help him adapt quickly at Pirates with the latter among the top keepers in the country at the moment.
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