With work permit issues remaining an issue, it seems likely that Bafana Bafana striker Percy Tau will again be loaned out by his English Premier League club, Brighton & Hove Albion, over the coming season.
Loaned out to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who are also owned by Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, Tau impressed with 13 goals and 13 assists in the Belgian second tier last season. It was enough to earn him the Proximus League’s Player of the Season award.
In a fine season for the winger, he also recently helped the South Africa football team reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, having played a significant role in getting them there with both goals in a 2-1 win against Libya in Tunisia in March of this year.
Tau joined Albion a year ago from Mamelodi Sundowns for an undisclosed fee (the deal was reported to be worth around R50 million) on a four-year contract and it would appear the Seagulls are prepared to bide their time with the player until he receives permission to play in the UK (Bafana’s lowly FIFA ranking being a not insignificant obstacle).
Scoring goals was an issue for the Seagulls last season as they only narrowly managed to avoid relegation, so new manager Graham Potter could certainly benefit from having Tau available. Betting on Brighton games (who begin their English Premier League campaign with a trip to Watford on Saturday, 10 August) or your favourite Premier League team will be easier than ever over the coming season, with plenty of betting sites that offer a registration bonus available too.
After last season’s success, Tau now looks set for a step-up in class with a loan move to a European top-flight club seemingly imminent. There is competition for his services though, with the prospect of UEFA Champions’ League football on the cards should he go to Belgium heavyweights Club Brugge sure to be of interest.
Reports within Belgium suggest that Club Brugge are very much leading the race to secure the signature of Tau for the coming season.
However, he is also a target of the French Ligue 1 club, Amiens SC. The appeal there for Tau is that their new manager is Luka Elsner, who was Tau’s boss at Union SG last season. Were he to join Amiens, he would also be reunited with Bafana teammate and ex-Sundowns player BonganiZungu.
Tau is now 25 years old so, if he can maintain his recent form at a higher level over the coming campaign, one would suspect that he should get permission to play for Brighton. Failing that, a big-money move elsewhere in Europe could materialize.
There’s unquestionably a big season on the horizon for Tau in one way or another.
UPDATE:
On 29 July 2019, Percy Tau signed for Belgian side Club Brugge on loan for the 2019–20 season.
Tau made his debut for the club on the 2 August 2019 against Sint-Truiden where he scored a stunner in the 6–0 home thrashing.
