Abdeslam Ouaddou Opens Up on Replacing Relebohile Mofokeng at Orlando Pirates This Summer
- Abdeslam Ouaddou addressed Relebohile Mofokeng's Orlando Pirates exit after the winger's move to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
- Ouaddou revealed that Pirates used their pre-season tour of Spain to develop new attacking combinations ahead of the new season
- The Buccaneers open their title defence against newly promoted Milford on Saturday, with Ouaddou warning the clash will not be straightforward
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Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has cautioned that no single player can be expected to replicate what Relebohile Mofokeng brought to the club, saying the solution to the attacking void lies in collective strength.
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Mofokeng was central to Pirates' historic 2025/26 season, during which the Buccaneers claimed a domestic treble and ended a 14-year wait for the Betway Premiership title.
The 21-year-old finished the campaign with 11 goals and nine assists across all competitions, earning him the PSL Footballer of the Season award before sealing a transfer to Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
Ouaddou's plan to fill the creative gap
Speaking to journalists at Rand Stadium on Tuesday, Ouaddou acknowledged the scale of Mofokeng's contribution but made clear that the club would not be seeking a like-for-like replacement.
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"Rele was an important player for the club. If you can just see data, his involvement in chance creation was huge, but I believe it's important to find a profile that can take the baton," the Moroccan coach said.
Ouaddou outlined how Pirates used their pre-season tour of Spain to begin building new attacking structures, trialling different player combinations in the middle of the park to distribute the creative burden more evenly across the squad.
"As you know, we are not all the time speaking about individualism; for us it's important to speak about a collective. So, it's what we tried to work on in Spain. We worked on many combinations, a lot of different profiles in the middle, trying to see. I think we can have a good answer this weekend," he added.
Milford test opens title defence
Pirates face newly promoted Milford in their first Betway Premiership fixture on Saturday, with kick-off set for 3:30 pm. Despite Milford's status as top-flight newcomers, Ouaddou urged his side not to underestimate the occasion.
"A recently promoted team always has this passion, this motivation to be in the big league. I guess they have a very good team spirit if they managed to reach this level," he said.
Mofokeng's girlfriend opens up about her fears
Briefly News also reported that Nolofatso Mohono, girlfriend of Bafana Bafana star Relebohile Mofokeng, reacted publicly to the death of his teammate Jayden Adams.
Nolofatso also shared mental health quotes on her Instagram Stories after the 25-year-old midfielder is believed to have passed away weeks after representing South Africa at the FIFA World Cup.
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Source: Briefly News
