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Brighton have signed winger Percy Tau from South African side Mamelodi Sundowns for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal, although it is rumoured to be a record for a player signed from the South African Premier Soccer League.
The 24-year old, who has 12 full caps for South Africa, has won the League twice with the Sundowns, and once with their rivals the Witbank Spurs with whom he spent a season, and was named South Africa Player of the Year in 2017/18, after scoring 13 goals for his club. Tao becomes Brighton’s seventh signing of the transfer window.
However, any Brighton fan looking forward to seeing Tau pull on the blue and white striped jersey next season will be disappointed, because he has failed to secure a UK work permit visa. Instead he will be sent on loan to gain international experience.
Speaking to the club’s website Tao said: “This move should help me play more international football. I’ll be learning a lot, which will also be good for my country. Hopefully I can make some great memories here – I love making memories and I’m so happy to be here.”
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.