According to reports, Sunderland is interested in South African striker Tshegofatso Mabasa.
As per online outlet Soccer Laduma, the Black Cats are understood to be keeping tabs on the 28-year-old, who currently plies his trade for Orlando Pirates. To that end, it is suggested that any interest in the player is still at an early stage, but that Sunderland are “the English club” casting an eye over his progress in his home country.
Regis Le Bris’ men have previously been linked with a potential move for Mabasa’s teammate Thalente Mbatha, and it is claimed that during a scouting mission for the defensive midfielder, representatives from Wearside were left suitably impressed by his colleague too.
Who is reported to be Sunderland’s target, Tshegofatso Mabasa?
Mabasa is a 28-year-old centre-forward who currently plays for Orlando Pirates. The striker started his career with Bloemfontein Celtic before earning a move to Soweto in 2019. Since then, he has spent spells on loan with Sekhukhune and Moroka Swallows.
Last season, Mabasa finished as the South African top flight’s most prolific goalscorer, with 16 strikes to his name and 19 goals in 33 outings across all competitions. So far this term, he has registered 13 strikes in 36 matches. Mabasa also has a pair of senior international caps for South Africa to his name, although the most recent of these came in October 2021.
What has been said about Sunderland’s apparent interest in Tshegofatso Mabasa?
According to Soccer Laduma, a source said: “It’s the same club interested in another Pirates player, Thalente Mbatha. It’s believed that when the scouts came to look at Mbatha they were also happy with Mabasa and they had to assess him further in other games and apparently they were happy and they have enquired about him. So, Sunderland are the club interested in Tshegofatso Mabasa.”
A second source seemingly corroborated Sunderland’s interest in Mabasa, but also claimed that the only potential setback could be his lack of international call-ups in recent years, which could be a requirement for any prospective work permit in the United Kingdom.
The second source added: “The interest is there. There has been an enquiry but the lack of national team caps could work against him. You know in the UK you should play a certain number of national team games for you to qualify for their work permit and other things. It’s apparently true the interest is there from Sunderland but will he qualify for that? That’s where the problem could be.”
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