Having to endure a lot of criticism from those describing his move to Al Ahly as a downgrade, Percy Tau insists he has made the right decision to leave Brighton and Hove Albion and join the Egyptian giants.
Tau dominated headlines last week when Ahly confirmed his move from the English Premier League club on a three-year deal to reunite with his former coach Pitso Mosimane.
Though his move has been criticised by football fans in SA, the Bafana Bafana star says there was no point staying on at Brighton without playing.
“In most of the decisions... I consider how I feel. Why do I do that because I know I always have the support of South Africans,” Tau told the media yesterday before Bafana training ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe on Friday.
“And I know South Africa is a footballing nation, so what’s the point of me sitting on [the bench] and not playing? Everyone wants to see me playing. I want to see myself playing. My family wants to see me play.
“And of course, people will always have opinions. We are a big country and you can’t close that window.
“But people will always have opinions on such moves and I’ve had such moves before. I went from Witbank Spurs to Mamelodi Sundowns academy when I was 17 years old.
“I went back to Spurs again on loan. I went to Brighton and there will still be some uncertainty regarding that move. I went to Union SG on loan. So, it is part of my career to move around and someone thinks if I stay here I was going to be okay.
“But you don’t know what I feel at that moment, what I’m going through, you are only at home sitting and I’m going through something that I feel like it would be better for me to move.”
The 27-year-old also revealed that he turned down offers from clubs he wouldn't name in Europe to reunite with Mosimane as he believes the coach is someone who will get the best out of him again.
“The move made more sense to me than staying in Europe. Of course, there were offers in Europe, but when I considered them and my age and all the other factors that I didn’t disclose to you guys [media], it made more sense for me to move there [Egypt],” Tau said.
Tau: 'Playing football again influenced my decision'
SA star cool about Ahly move amid 'downgrade' criticism
Image: Al Ahly Instagram
Having to endure a lot of criticism from those describing his move to Al Ahly as a downgrade, Percy Tau insists he has made the right decision to leave Brighton and Hove Albion and join the Egyptian giants.
Tau dominated headlines last week when Ahly confirmed his move from the English Premier League club on a three-year deal to reunite with his former coach Pitso Mosimane.
Though his move has been criticised by football fans in SA, the Bafana Bafana star says there was no point staying on at Brighton without playing.
“In most of the decisions... I consider how I feel. Why do I do that because I know I always have the support of South Africans,” Tau told the media yesterday before Bafana training ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe on Friday.
“And I know South Africa is a footballing nation, so what’s the point of me sitting on [the bench] and not playing? Everyone wants to see me playing. I want to see myself playing. My family wants to see me play.
“And of course, people will always have opinions. We are a big country and you can’t close that window.
“But people will always have opinions on such moves and I’ve had such moves before. I went from Witbank Spurs to Mamelodi Sundowns academy when I was 17 years old.
“I went back to Spurs again on loan. I went to Brighton and there will still be some uncertainty regarding that move. I went to Union SG on loan. So, it is part of my career to move around and someone thinks if I stay here I was going to be okay.
“But you don’t know what I feel at that moment, what I’m going through, you are only at home sitting and I’m going through something that I feel like it would be better for me to move.”
The 27-year-old also revealed that he turned down offers from clubs he wouldn't name in Europe to reunite with Mosimane as he believes the coach is someone who will get the best out of him again.
“The move made more sense to me than staying in Europe. Of course, there were offers in Europe, but when I considered them and my age and all the other factors that I didn’t disclose to you guys [media], it made more sense for me to move there [Egypt],” Tau said.
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