Swallows in talks with Pirates for Sam

SABC Sport can reveal the two Soweto outfits are expected to reach an agreement for the left-back to spend the remainder of the season playing for the Dube Birds after Maritzburg United decided Sam was surplus to requirements.

The 25-year-old joined the Buccaneers from the now-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic in 2019, following an impressive breakthrough into topflight football, but an injury setback delayed his progress at the time. 

In an effort to get him more game time, Sam was loaned out to Maritzburg at the beginning of the current season with coach John Maduka, who worked with the defender at Celtic, expected to build his confidence back up again. 

But Maduka was sacked in November and replaced with Fadlu Davids, also a former Pirates coach…so it is surprising to see Sam leave the Team of Choice. 

Swallows have since jumped and are believed to be close to agreeing on terms with the Buccaneers for a loan deal until June now that their Fifa ban has been lifted and the Dube Birds are able to register players. 

Should the deal go over the line before tonight’s transfer deadline, as expected, then Sam will be the fifth signing since the sanction was overturned for Swallows. He’d join striker Evans Rusike, attackers Richard Ulomi and Tawanda Macheke (pending work permits and international clearances) as well as goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi.