Ertugral somewhat surprisingly linked-up with the Buccaneers following a successful stint at Mpumalanga Black Aces, with the latter club set to relocate to Cape Town following its recent takeover by former Ajax Cape Town shareholder John Comitis.

‘It’s really an honour for me to coach a big club like Pirates and I’m looking forward to the challenge,’ the coach told KickOff.

‘Of course it’s not going to be easy as the pressure and demands to win silverware is always very big. But I’m very excited nonetheless and like I said it’s an honour to be the head coach of such a big club.’

Ertugral has expressed how the attitude of his players will be crucial for a good start to the season.

‘It’s important to get the confidence in the players before the season starts. It’s not just the PSL but world football has moved to a higher level.

‘The standard in the PSL is also very good and the gap between the so-called big clubs and smaller clubs have decreased,’ he concluded.