Pedersen tasked with solving Pirates’ finishing problem as debut nears

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says new striker Sebastian Pedersen has been signed to improve the club’s efficiency in front of goal as he prepares to make his debut for the Buccaneers.

The 27-year-old joined Pirates from Norwegian club Sogndal before the start of the 2026/27 campaign. He arrived with the responsibility of adding another attacking option to Ouaddou’s squad.

Pirates have scored five goals in their opening three matches of the season, with two of those games coming in the Betway Premiership and the other in the MTN8.

However, Ouaddou believes his team should have been more productive given the number of opportunities it has created. The coach expects Pedersen to help address that issue once the forward has settled into the side.

Pirates supporters are still waiting to see the Norwegian in competitive action, although Ouaddou recently said the striker was closing in on his first appearance for the club.

“I think the club brought him to increase our average of chance creation, to increase the average of the conversion because we still have many, many chances,” Ouaddou told the media after Pirates drew 1-1 with AmaZulu.

“If you can see the chances that we managed to create in the game, yes, of course, we hope that he’s going to bring us this efficiency in the box.”

The draw with AmaZulu left Ouaddou encouraged by the way his players handled an opponent who defended deep and looked to attack on the counter. Despite controlling the second half and repeatedly entering the penalty area, Pirates were unable to make their dominance count fully.

The coach acknowledged that finishing remained a concern, but praised the determination shown by his squad.

“We faced a team with a big block, low block, playing in transition. We knew that, so we were prepared for that,” he added.

“We had completely the control of the game in the second half. We managed to create a lot of chances and to get in the opponent’s box many times.

“Unfortunately, we still have the same problem about efficiency. Where I have to give credit to my boys, it’s about the aggressiveness, the intention to fight, of course.”

Pedersen’s arrival gives Ouaddou another option as he looks to improve Pirates’ attacking output. The forward’s anticipated introduction will be closely watched as the club seeks greater clinical quality in the final third.

Pirates’ next match is an away fixture against Chippa United on Sunday, 16 August.

The Buccaneers’ early-season schedule has already included both domestic league and cup football, but Ouaddou’s comments underline the particular problem Pedersen is expected to help solve: converting a higher proportion of the chances Pirates create.