Pitso Mosimane has lifted the lid on the possibility of signing Percy Tau from English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
Al Ahly have shown keen interest in luring the Bafana Bafana international to Cairo.
Mosimane and Tau enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Mamelodi Sundowns where the duo lifted multiple league titles and the 2016 Caf Champions League.
Tau left South African shores in 2018 to join Brighton, but due to England’s strict foreign-player quota, he was loaned out to Belgium sides Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Brugge KV and Anderlecht. He returned to The Seagulls last season but spent an awful lot of time on the bench or up in the stands.
Speaking to musician Refiloe Phoolo – better known by stage name Cassper Nyovest – in an Instagram live on Monday afternoon, Mosimane said Tau needs to play football again and if the Egyptian giants can afford him, he “must come”.
“I would like Percy Tau to come here and any coach would like to have him. Let him come and play in the Club World Cup, let him come and dribble. Percy is a showman. He is like Lionel Messi – he has so much to show you. Let’s give him a chance to show that. I would like to sign Percy if Brighton agrees to sell him. If we can pay him, he must come.
“Percy has been in Europe for three years now and let’s be honest, we have not seen Percy play [in England]. We have seen Percy play football in Belgium and a South African team can try to beat a Belgian team. Al Ahly can also beat a Belgian team,” Mosimane added.
“Jingles” jokingly suggested that the former Downs star is nearing his retirement age and if he stays at Brighton, he is running the risk of hanging up his boots without “playing football”.
“Percy has not played football and he is 28 now. Do we want him to retire without playing football and then we have the tag that he plays in the English Premier League? He is not playing there, they keep loaning him out. They have a pre-season, playing friendly games and they don’t start him that much… it is a fact.
Mosimane added: “He has to decide whether he is going to retire without playing football because the last time he played football was when he was with Mamelodi Sundowns and I was with him. He must look after the finances.
“If he gets the same money at Al Ahly, then he can come and be the king of the jungle. [Right now] he is not showing people what he is capable of. People will say he is downgrading, this and that. But he is not playing where he is.”
