Lorch leaves the Pirates for Sundowns on deadline day, making a shock move.

Gallo Images: Thembinkosi Lorch acting as a pirate.

Once again, Mamelodi Sundowns has drawn attention for signing Orlando Pirates forward Thembinkhosi Lorch late on the day of the Premier Soccer League transfer deadline.

After joining the Buccaneers in 2015, the 30-year-old leaves the team with four major championships, including three MTN8s and the Nedbank Cup.

He made 176 appearances, contributed 30 assists, and scored 34 goals while playing with the Pirates.

“Dr. Irvin Khoza, the Chairman, and the Mamelodi Sundowns hierarchy had a meeting, and Thembinkosi Lorch decided to leave Orlando Pirates Football Club,” the Soweto giants stated in a statement issued on Friday night, just before the January transfer window closed at midnight.

“The club extends its gratitude to ‘Nyoso’ for his tremendous contribution, adding yet another chapter to the club’s history. We hope that he and his family have success in their upcoming athletic endeavors.”

Despite struggles with injuries and personal matters, Lorch has been a fan favorite and one of the Pirates’ best players for the previous seven seasons.

He was convicted of abusing his girlfriend in 2020 last year.

He received a sentence of three years in prison following multiple postponements of the case. However, the entire sentence was suspended for five years, provided he did not receive a comparable term during that time.

In addition, he was mandated to reimburse the women’s rights group People Opposing Women Abuse R100,000 for fines.

On the day of the deadline, Tashreeq Matthews, a 23-year-old midfielder from Cape Town, was hired by Sundowns. In 2019, Matthews moved out of South Africa to join the Borussia Dortmund academy in Germany.

Later, he played with Jong Utrecht in the Netherlands to gain experience, and he played for Helsingborgs IF, Varbergs BoIS, and IK Sirius in Sweden for four years.

Prins Menelik Tjiueza, an international player for Namibia, has agreed to be transferred to Cape Town City in principle through an agreement with KF Liria. The finalization of documentation is a prerequisite for the transfer to be completed.

Greetings The former striker for the Pirates, Eva Nga, has rejoined Chippa United. Following his recent split from the Buccaneers, the Cameroon striker was quickly signed by Chippa United, whose transfer ban was overturned.