Luther Singh is just waiting for the president of Portuguese side Sporting Braga to return to the club before putting pen-to-paper on a long-term deal that will see him move to the top European league until June 2021.
The South African Under-20 international star has been hot property in Europe since an excellent 18 months with Swedish second-tier side GAIS.
There were a number of teams interested in his services‚ including the B side of Real Madrid‚ but in the end the 19-year-old has opted for a club where he has been told he has a good chance of playing.
An added bonus is that he will be in the proximity of three other South African players with Guimaraes‚ whose club Vitoria have Bongani Zungu‚ Thibang Phete and Haashim Domingo‚ just a 25-minute drive away.
For Singh it is reward for doing the “hard yards” in playing second-tier football in Sweden‚ which might not have been glamorous‚ but at least afforded him the opportunity to play and to get noticed‚ sparking bigger things.
It is a lesson to other South African youngsters obsessed with going straight to elite European leagues where they sit in the reserves without a chance to prove themselves.
Singh‚ a product of Farouk Khan’s Stars of African Academy‚ was an unknown to local fans but shone for Amajita at the recent COSAFA Under-20 Championships in the North West province in December.
He top-scored at the regional championships with six goals and his flexibility as either a winger or attacking midfielder was evident.
And he is likely to be released by Braga for the African Youth Championships that will be played in Zambia starting next month with that discussion forming part of his negotiations with the Portuguese club‚ TIMESLIVE understands.
Singh had looked set to join Portuguese giants Benfica at the start of last season but the move broke down when the club wanted him to play for their academy side‚ but the player and his representatives felt he was ready for senior football.
He scored nine goals in 22 starts for GAIS last season.
- TMG Digital
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