Monnapule Saleng could be facing a change of market value dynamics at Orbit College FC after joining on loan from Orlando Pirates, which would be an indication of the quality of players around him.
Saleng's switch to Orbit on loan from Pirates came as a surprise, but after nearly a year out of competitive action, it was expected he would not necessarily hit the ground running at his boyhood club.
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To the tactician's credit, he also suggested that the quality surrounding the player could also be the issue, unlike at his parent club, where there is a lot of quality and one can get away with a bad performance.
The 27-year-old could regret the choice of team to play for on loan as an established player, as the total market value of The Mswenko Boys is 17 times less than that of Bucs.
According to Transfermarkt, the total market value of the Orbit squad is around R27,4 million, with more than half of the players not rated, as they have been playing in the lower division.
In comparison, the Pirates squad has a total market value of R492 million.
In 2024/25, Saleng was not the highest-valued player at the club (R20, 6m) as that honour belonged to Tshegofatso Mabasa, valued at R37 million, followed by Relebohile Mofokeng, Deano Van Rooyen, and Nkosinathi Sibisi, all tied on a market value R33 million each.
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The third most valued player is Thato Mohlamme at R2 million, which shows a significant disparity in the change of environment and quality around Saleng, and so expecting the same performances he had at Pirates would be unrealistic at best.
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
