The former RC Lens shot-stopper arrived at Bucs hoping to make the number one jersey his own, but how has he fared thus far?
Much was expected from Joris Delle when he joined Orlando Pirates from Dutch giants Feyenoord last June.
The well-travelled goalkeeper filled the void left by Jackson Mabokgwane, who had left the Buccaneers for Bloemfontein Celtic.
However, the expectations were heightened by the retirement of fellow shot-stopper Brilliant Khuzwayo due to a recurring ankle injury a month later.
Goal takes a look at how Delle has performed so far in his maiden season outside Europe:
Lack Of Game Time
The Frenchman served as the third-choice goalkeeper at the beginning of the season with Siyabonga Mpontshane and Wayne Sandilands preferred ahead of him.
Delle worked his way up the pecking order and became the second-choice keeper behind Sandilands by the end of August 2019.
The 30-year-old player was an unused substitute as the Buccaneers recorded goalless draws against KwaZulu-Natal sides AmaZulu FC and Lamontville Golden Arrows.
The was no need for coach Rhulani Mokwena to drop Sandilands hand Delle his official debut for Pirates at this stage.
Failure To Impress
Delle helped Pirates secure a 2-1 victory, but he could not keep a clean sheet as he punched the ball into a crowd of players and the Chilli Boys grabbed a late consolation goal.
Mokwena handed Dele another start against Bidvest Wits in a game which saw the Briey-born keeper concede four goals in a 4-3 defeat on September 21.
However, the former Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach kept faith with Delle, who was in goal during Pirates' 3-3 draw with Cape Town City seven days later.
Delle came under scrutiny as he was heavily criticized by the media and fans as he had conceded eight goals in three matches.
Mokwena had to defend Dele, insisting that the former France under-21 international needed more time to adapt to the PSL and life at Pirates.
However, Delle was relegated to the bench and his next game only came on February 9 in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 match against Wits under coach Josef Zinnbauer.
Once again the lanky shot-stopper failed to impress as conceded three goals in a 3-3 draw and the Buccaneers went on to lose 3-2 on penalties.
Overall Performance
Delle has made four appearances across all competitions for the Buccaneers and conceded a whopping 11 goals in the process.
The FC Metz academy product has proved to be a poor signing and unreliable back-up keeper thus far and he could to be offloaded by the club at the end of the season.
However, the fact that the futures of his rivals Mpontshane, 33, and Sandilands, 36, are uncertain may give Delle a glimmer of hope being the youngest in the Bucs goalkeeping department.
The mature keepers are expected to sit down with the Pirates management to discuss their futures with their contracts set to expire at the end of the current season.
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The ball is in Delle's court to impress if the current season resumes, with the PSL having been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Delle, who is on a three-year deal at Pirates, has to regain his confidence and the form which saw him enjoy game time and help Nice secure a top-four finish in Ligue 1 during the 2012/13 campaign.
Pirates also have to be patient with the former Ligue 2 title winner as he needs time to get to grips with the PSL which is completely different from the European leagues he has played in.
Once Delle adjusts could he prove to be a reliable man between the sticks for Bucs?
Source : Football News, Live Scores, Results & Transfers | Goal.com
Orlando Pirates report card: Assessing Delle's 2019-20 season
Orlando Pirates report card: Assessing Delle's 2019-20 season
