Why Pitso Feels Sad About Tau

Former Al Ahly head coach admits he feels sad about leaving Percy Tau in Egypt but explained why he has a clear conscience about signing him from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.

Tau under Mosimane set the scene alight in South Africa and played a pivotal role when he won the Mamelodi Sundowns won the CAF Champions League and Super Cup between 2016 and 2017 before becoming the national team’s attacking talisman.

It was clear the diminutive forward was destined for greater heights with 24 goals and 27 assists in 102 games for the first team. Brighton came knocking under then head coach Chris Houghton in August 2018 and forked out R50 million for his services, a club record sale befitting of the generational Masandawana talent.

However, due to Bafana Bafana ranking outside the top fifty in the official FIFA rankings, he failed to secure a work permit upon his arrival, Houghton eventually parted ways with the Seagulls and after three separate loans in Belgium with various degrees of success at Union Saint-Gallioise, Club Brugge and Anderlecht, the new laws under Brexit saw him return to his parent club.

The exicitement was pulpable. A South African back in the top-flight of English football. But it was short-lived as Tau never fully convinced Graham Potter to become a regular starter and the murmurs of being reunited with Mosimane at Ahly began.

It was met with dismay from the general public, but the R30-million deal was eventually sealed with Tau saying he ‘chose history’ as he envision first-team football and dominating the continent with his former coach while looking to make inroads at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Fast forward a year later, he has a bronze medal in the World Cup, a CAF Super Cup medal but Mosimane walked out of the job and within the spate of injuries, there’s now talk that he may even be sold come the end of the Egyptian Premier League season – but Mosimane has opened up on the ordeal.

“When I spoke to Percy I said, you have LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, so I said to him, check in those spaces, in the Bundesliga – if you have something there, why do you want to come here? Stay there. But if you don’t have, anything in that space. At least you can go to the World Cup with me, you can do this and that with me,” Mosimane said after being honoured for his CAF Pro License.

When probed by iDiski Times if any offers were there, given the fact he was labelled as someone who ruined his career by luring him back to Africa when he made it as far as the Premier League, he stated Tau was fully aware of what he was doing.

“I don’t want to say the offers didn’t come but I’m honest, but everyone can say ruined his career. But no I spoke to him and Percy is smart, he looks after himself, and he’s not the guy who kills his career off the field,” he continued.

“Then I spoke to him, I spoke to his agent, I said, I’m a phone call away, the phone rang and I said ‘come’, you know what I’m trying to say? Yes I feel sad I left him there, but I left him in a big team hey.

“I’m not sure if he will stay, of course, we can’t hide it, my involvement, me being there is a different story. Me not being there is a different story but I also have to do what I have to do for myself and by the way, he didn’t come for less money than at Brighton. My conscience is clear.”

Tau has scored eight goals and registered six assists for the Red Devils in 31 games since his arrival but could be ruled out for the remainder of the season with a muscle injury.