Oralndo Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has seemingly poured cold water on talks of new arrivals at the club, saying that they have many good players who will fight for their place in the team.

The Sea Robbers brought in a host of players ahead of last season making 11 signings, but with so many new arrivals they often struggled for consistency.

Pirates did, however, manage to break their trophy drought by winning the MTN8 last season and they will now be looking defend the crown with a team that has a bit more continuity.

The Buccaneers will face Swallows in the MTN8 quarterfinal at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday at 6pm and ZInnbauer admitted he wants to work with the players he has at the club after a full pre-season.

“We tried last season with a lot of new players in the squad. It takes time for new players to settle and understand the way that the club plays. We are still in the preparing phases and have many players in the squad, and we have to give all of them a chance to play. We have many good players, and some need a little time to settle into the team. They will fight for their place in the starting line-up. For now, we want to work with what we have,” explained Zinnbauer via a virtual press conference.

The German coach did, though, praise the players they have brought in already but admitted they need time to adapt.

“We signed quality players and they will increase the number of competitions for a place in the team. Their arrival will improve the quality of the team, and we have a group of young players. Some players needed more time to adapt and there is no pressure,” concluded Zinnbauer.