Share

Pirates sign Celtic's Mayambela

Soweto - Mark “Professor” Mayambela completed his dream move from Bloemfontein Celtic to Orlando Pirates on Thursday and signed a reported two-year contract that is likely to see Pirates left footed winger Bennett Chenene moving the opposite direction to Mangaung.

The two sides are naturally very coy about the deal which is likely to be made public once Mayambela has agreed personal terms with Pirates and Chenene had equally accepted the terms and conditions of his move to Celtic.

“I know for a fact that the two sides are talking about much more than Mayambela,” said our source. “I can reveal that Celtic and Pirates are also discussing the possibility of Chenene moving down to Mangaung.

“An offer has been tabled for Chenene who blossomed under Owen da Gama while the latter was in charge at Pirates. And after a cameo role in Pirates during the last two years, he will probably relish an opportunity to really show what he is capable of doing on the field of play.

“He has seen how Tlou Segolela developed and displayed his true colors at Celtic and I have no doubt that the green and white offers him a mouth watering opportunity to really blossom and he is seriously considering the Celtic offer.”

A source close to Celtic confirmed that the club has made their intentions of bringing him down to Mangaung very clear.

“They have also outlined their vision to Chenene and from what I have heard, he liked their ambitions,” said our source. “He must now make a decision whether to accept the opportunity to go down to Manguang or not.”

Celtic, currently lying fourth on the Telkom Charity Cup voting charts, have really gone out of their way to lure some big name players to their Seeisa Ramabodu stronghold and showed in a practice match against SuperSport United that they will be hard to beat this year.

Thokozani Mshengu, Clifford Mulenga and Hlompho Kekana have fitted perfectly in the Celtic midfield and with new boy Nathan Paulse leading the line from the front; supported by Cecil Oerson they did resemble a potent outfit against the defending champions.

But their real test of strength and character will be next weekend when they line-up against Moroka Swallows in the second match of the Old Mutual Mangaung |Cup at the Botshabelo Stadium outside Bloemfontein.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE