Letsholonyane urges patience as Pirates striker Pedersen faces tough Premiership test

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane has warned Orlando Pirates supporters against expecting an immediate impact from new striker Sebastien Pedersen.

Pirates announced the signing of the 27-year-old on Sunday, prompting excitement among their supporters. Pedersen arrives with an impressive scoring record in Norway and has represented the Norwegian youth teams, where he played alongside Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

However, Letsholonyane believes the striker must first prove himself in the Betway Premiership before comparisons with established forwards can be considered.

Video footage of Pedersen has highlighted his finishing ability, with the left-footed striker appearing particularly dangerous in front of goal. Pirates will hope that form translates to South Africa when the 2026/27 season begins, but Letsholonyane has urged fans to reserve judgement until they see him in competitive action.

“I have not really got time to look at him in terms of how he plays and what not. I don’t believe so much in the clips that come through, because we choose the right moments to sell a player,” Letsholonyane said on omniaudioafrica YouTube Channel.

The arrival of Pedersen has addressed concerns about the depth of Pirates’ attack. Those concerns were heightened by the departure of Relebohile Mofokeng, which left the club heading into the new campaign with Evidence Makgopa, Yanela Mbuthuma and Boitumelo Radiopane as their available striker options.

Despite Pedersen’s European background and his record in Norway, Letsholonyane said adapting to the demands of South African football could take time.

“The next few games will tell us what kind of a striker he is going to be. Two, the Betway Premiership is very difficult. People might think it’s an easy league to play in but it’s not. A lot of players from Europe who come here struggle a lot of times.

“So he will also need time to adapt to how we do things here. The high intensity of our league, the man-to-man marking of our defenders, not allowing players to have space and time, so as much as he is from Europe and the clips show that he’s a top striker, we still need to see him in a match in a high intensity and let’s see if he will adapt and score those goals they signed him to score,” Letsholonyane added.

Pirates will begin their new Betway Premiership campaign against newly promoted Milford on Saturday afternoon.

That opening fixture will give Pedersen an early opportunity to demonstrate how quickly he can adjust to the pace, physicality and defensive pressure of the South African top flight. For now, Letsholonyane’s message to the Pirates faithful is clear: Pedersen’s highlights may suggest he has the qualities to succeed, but his performances in matches will provide the more reliable evidence.