One of the stars of this summer’s World Cup, Siphiwe Tshabalala, could be set for a move to English football with the news he’s due to arrive for a trial period at Nottingham Forest. His agent says:
“There were a couple of Premier League teams who showed an interest but they took too long to get back to me,” he said.
We had to go for the first assessment that we were offered because there is only a limited amount of time for the deal to be done but at least he will be there in the eyes of the UK football scene.
He’s very excited – like all players, he wants to play at the highest level and Siphiwe showed at the World Cup he is capable of that.”
You’ll remember Tshabalala for his stunning goal which opened the World Cup in earnest. Now, Tshabalala’s arrival would hold particular excitement for me. Having spent some time out in South Africa last summer (which you can read more about here), a mate and I were lucky enough to bump in to the pocket-sized winger.
I should point out at this juncture that I have doctored this photo to protect this man from the shame of being identified as my friend. He does not suffer from a hideous facial deformity. Or, if he does, it’s not the one that the photoshopped image would have you believe.
Anyway, we met in glamorous circumstances: a service station. Tshabalala was on the road to the semi-final in Durban, and had presumably stopped off for the motorway essentials of petrol and fried chicken. When we bumped in to him, he had just made a little boy cry by giving him his shorts. It’s less weird than it sounds.
He seemed to be a pleasant enough guy. But a word of warning to excited Forest fans: when I asked around about the chances of Tshabalala moving to Europe, many were doubtful about his willingness to ditch the party boy lifestyle he was famous for in Johannesburg. He has quite the reputation for enjoying the city’s varied nightlife.
Still, if it did happen, it’d certainly be interesting. From Bafana Bafana to Burnley and Barnsley, and all in a matter of months.
