Pirates to Focus on Group Effort and Capable Finishers

Abdeslam Ouaddou believes replacing star player Relebohile Mofokeng will require a unified team approach rather than relying on a single individual.

Mofokeng – who was named Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Season after recording 11 goals and nine assists in Pirates’ domestic treble-winning 2025/26 campaign – recently departed for Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Acknowledging the sizable creative void left by the 21-year-old winger, Ouaddou explained that the Buccaneers utilised their pre-season tour of Spain to test various attacking combinations and share creative duties across the squad.

To complement their collective approach, Pirates have bolstered their frontline with 27-year-old Norwegian striker Sebastian Pedersen from Sogndal IL. With an impressive record of 51 goals in 117 appearances in Norway, Pedersen was specifically targeted by Pirates’ scouting department to improve the team’s chance-conversion rate.

“I know last season, we were the team on the continent that had the best average of chances created,” the 47-year-old Bucs coach noted. “We needed this finisher, this profile who can finish the actions.”

As Pirates prepare to begin their Betway Premiership title defence against newly promoted Milford FC, Ouaddou is confident that a strengthened collective tactical framework, combined with Pedersen’s clinical finishing in the box, will keep the Buccaneers competing for silverware on all fronts.

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