According to Belgian outlet Voetbalkrant (h/t Brighton and Hove Independent), Royal Antwerp have tabled an offer of around £4.2million for Brighton forward, Percy Tau. The South African international signed for the Seagulls in 2018 from Mamelodi Sundowns in his native country.
But he has had a hard time at Brighton and Hove Albion. He has been loaned out multiple times and frankly, the club has enough strikers in their ranks as of now. With Antwerp having tabled a bid according to the report, is this the right time for Brighton to accept their mistake and cut their losses on Tau? With a lot of mobile apps for betting available in the market these days, it is the right time for punters out there to place your bids on the transfer market happenings.
Percy Tau has failed to settle in at Brighton
Ever since Tau signed for Brighton, he has never looked like a player that would be a regular starter for them. That is because of the fact that he has only ever made three starts for the club, with his debut coming in his 3rd season at the Amex. Most of his time as a Brighton player has been spent out on loan in Belgium.
Percy Tau of Brighton and Hove Albion the subject of a transfer offer from Royal Antwerp. (imago Images)
He was sent to Union SG during his first season and Club Brugge in the campaign that followed. Last season, he spent the first half at Anderlecht before joining up with the Brighton squad in January 2021. That is when his Brighton journey started on the field and even then, Potter did not show a lot of faith in him.
Tau only ever started three games with just one of it coming in the league, surprisingly against Manchester City. That clearly indicates that Brighton can do without him to a big extent. On paper, they are not short of strikers, with Danny Welbeck, Aaron Connolly, Neal Maupay, Florin Andone, and Jurgen Locadia, who has returned from his loan spell in MLS.
The Seagulls can do without Tau
Amongst such names, Tau would find it difficult to get a lot of starts. Speaking to KickOff.com (h/t Sussex Live) in March 2021, Bafana Bafana head coach Molefi Ntseki stated that the competition within Brighton’s squad is the reason why Tau is barely getting any minutes. That, he says, can jeopardize Tau’s chances of playing for the national team if he is not careful.
Percy Tau during his time at Anderlecht in Belgium. (imago Images)
“It’s got nothing to do with Percy’s discipline or commitment, it’s just competition within the team. If competition puts him outside, and he’s not training properly, he’s not part of the team all the time, then it means his performance will obviously be affected [when it comes to being selected for Bafana].”
He is in the last 12 months of his contract at the Amex, and any fee Brighton can get for him would be a bonus if we take into account the possibility of him leaving as a free agent next year. If Tau doesn’t renew his deal, he can open talks with foreign clubs as a free agent in January 2022.
South Africa international, Percy Tau, has spent some time in Belgium on loan.
Losing any player on a free transfer is not ideal. And Brighton barely have any space in their starting XI for him, as seen in the last 3 years. Taking those factors into account, this is one deal that Potter should cash in on. It would free up some space on Brighton’s wage bill and Tau can get some regular football to hold down his spot in South Africa’s national team.