Orlando Pirates midfielder Kabelo Dlamini has welcomed the arrival of talented Sipho Mbule at the Soweto giants as the Houghton-based outfit take aim at the ever elusive league title.
Mbule made his debut for Pirates in a 2-0 MTN8 quarterfinals win over Polokwane City at Orlando last Saturday, having joined during the off-season amid much fanfare.
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The former SuperSport United star arrived as a free agent after being released by Mamelodi Sundowns, who had sent him out on loan to Sekhukhune United last term.
However, he was unable to complete the season due to off-field challenges.
The 27-year-old has received an opportunity of a fresh start at Bucs and has already been tipped as one of the players to watch this season.
"Everyone knows Sipho. He is a top player, and we are grateful that we are sharing the same dressing room with him, and I am glad that he is gonna come and help the team reach their goal," said Dlamini during a media open day at the Rand Stadium ahead of this weekend's league opener against Sekhukhune.
"So, to share the same field, it means a lot because he plays the same style as us. We are grateful to have him here in the team.
“He has been playing at the highest level for quite some time now. He knows how Pirates play, because during pre-season he has been doing well. I am glad on Saturday he had his A-game and that’s what Pirates need,” added the left-footer.
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Both the Soweto giants and Babina Noko come into Saturday's clash at Orlando (17:30) high on confidence after registering wins in the MTN8. A lot is expected of the home team after signing a host of highly rated players ahead of the season.
“It's important to start the way we started last season because we're competing against strong teams like Mamelodi Sundowns. They hardly drop points. When you compete against those teams, you can't afford to lose two games in a row, otherwise it will over.
"So, ja, we wanna win our games and bring the trophy home,” said Dlamini.
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
