Orlando Pirates’ new ‘Haaland’ given warning – ‘Players from Europe struggle here’

Former Kaizer Chiefs star Reneilwe Letsholonyane has advised Orlando Pirates supporters to temper their expectations for new signing Sebastien Pedersen.

The Buccaneers generated considerable excitement among their fanbase last weekend with the announcement of Pedersen, a striker with a solid goal-scoring history in Norway. His experience includes playing alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in the Norwegian youth national teams.

Highlight reels showcasing the 27-year-old’s finishing ability have fueled anticipation that the left-footed forward could deliver Haaland-esque performances for the club in the upcoming 2026/27 season.

Pedersen has strengthened Bucs attack

Pedersen’s arrival addresses concerns about the team’s attacking depth, particularly following the departure of Relebohile Mofokeng. Before the signing, the club’s striking options for the new campaign were limited to Evidence Makgopa, Yanela Mbuthuma and Boitumelo Radiopane.

However, Letsholonyane has warned the Pirates faithful against getting carried away before seeing the Norwegian striker in action in South Africa.

Orlando Pirates fans doing the Viking chant in South Africa, after signing Norwegian Player, Sebastian Pedersen. pic.twitter.com/8DqnuLLeDn

— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) August 2, 2026

“I haven’t really had time to look at him in terms of how he plays,” Letsholonyane stated on the omniaudioafrica YouTube channel. “I don’t believe so much in the clips that come through, because we choose the right moments to sell a player.”

The retired midfielder emphasized the unique challenges of the local league.

Pirates’ new man given key advice

“The next few games will tell us what kind of a striker he is going to be. The Betway Premiership is very difficult. People might think it’s an easy league to play in, but it’s not. A lot of players from Europe who come here struggle a lot of times,” he explained.

“So he will also need time to adapt to how we do things here. The high intensity of our league, the man-to-man marking of our defenders, not allowing players to have space and time… as much as he is from Europe and the clips show that he’s a top striker, we still need to see him in a high-intensity match and see if he will adapt and score those goals they signed him to score,” Letsholonyane added.

Pirates kicked off their new Betway Premiership season with a 2-0 against newly-promoted Milford on Saturday afternoon.