Manenzhe backs Orlando Pirates to challenge for the title despite key exits

Former Orlando Pirates striker Phumudzo Manenzhe has rejected suggestions that the club’s recent player sales will damage their chances of competing for the league title, pointing to the Buccaneers’ treble-winning campaign last season.

The Soweto club have seen several influential players leave, with Patrick Maswanganyi the latest high-profile departure.

Tito recently moved from Pirates to Bahraini Premier League side Al-Khaldiya SC, while Relebohile Mofokeng also left before the start of the new season.

Rising defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi was sold midway through the previous campaign, while Mohau Nkota departed before the beginning of the 2025/26 season.

Those exits have led to questions over whether Pirates have weakened their squad and compromised their ambitions in the title race. Several of the players who played important roles for the club are no longer available, leading some observers to doubt whether the team can maintain its previous level.

Manenzhe, however, argued that similar concerns were raised last season, only for Pirates to respond successfully on the pitch.

He referred in particular to the departure of Mbokazi, who left Orlando Pirates to join a club in Major League Soccer, and Nkota’s mid-season exit.

“You say that because it takes me back to what was being said, I think in the transfer window in January,” Manenzhe said on SuperSport TV.

“When Mbokazi left Orlando Pirates to go to the US, to the MLS, there was a lot of noise about Orlando Pirates are not serious about winning the league because you are selling Mbokazi.

“But the Pirates played, I think, 18 games without Mbokazi. Nkota left when the season, even the ball was kicked. Nkota left halfway through the season.

The former striker also recalled the criticism aimed at Pirates after Mbokazi, Nkota and Monnapule Saleng were no longer part of the squad.

Those departures were viewed by some as evidence that the club was prioritising player sales over its pursuit of trophies. Manenzhe said the team’s achievements ultimately provided a decisive response to those claims.

“Mbokazi left and people said, you are selling Nkota, you are selling Mbokazi, you are selling Saleng, you are not serious about winning the league. Orlando Pirates won a treble,” he added.

“I am just saying, three key players that played an important role before last season, those three key players left Orlando Pirates, they won a treble.”

Manenzhe’s comments come as Pirates begin another campaign with a squad that has undergone significant change. Maswanganyi’s departure has added to the list of notable exits, alongside the moves involving Tito and Mofokeng, while Mbokazi and Nkota had already left after making meaningful contributions.

Despite the turnover, Manenzhe believes last season’s success shows that Orlando Pirates can cope with the loss of important players and remain competitive. He used the club’s treble as evidence that departures do not automatically prevent the Buccaneers from challenging for major honours.