Former Orlando Pirates wing-back Wayde Jooste is currently being assessed by new AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin.
Jooste is without a club after leaving Maritzburg United, with the KwaZulu-Natal club having suffered relegation via the play-offs last term.
The 31-year-old was signed by the Team of Choice following the arrival of coach Fadlu Davids to replace John Maduka in November last year .
Before he joined Maritzburg, Jooste had trained with SuperSport United under the watchful eyes of coach Gavin Hunt, but the Tshwane giants couldn’t agree on the financial terms with the former Pirates right-back.
It is when coach Davids pounced on the free agent to be reunited at Maritzburg, having coached him at Pirates as the club co-coach alongside Mandla Ncikazi before leaving at the end of the 2021/22 season.
The former Highlands Park defender featured in 16 matches in all competitions but missed the vital play-off match against Cape Town Spurs, after which he confirmed to the media that he was going to assess his options.
He then informed the club management that he was leaving after Davids and his entire technical team were dismissed.
Plenty of other players followed through the exit door, including Thabo Moloisane, Renaldo Leaner, Travis Graham, Siboniso Conco, Bradley Cross, Friday Samu, King Ndlovu, Joe Ali Meza as well as Kwame Peprah and Tebogo Tlolane, who were both on loan from Pirates.
Jooste, in the career that started at Bloemfontein Celtic in the 2013/14 season under Ernst Middendorp, has featured in 157 matches in all competitions, scoring seven goals in the process, winning the MTN8 with Pirates in the 2020/21 season.
iDiski Times sources indicate Usuthu are keen to add him to the squad and he would join Celimpilo Ngema, Mfanafuthi Mkhize and Mondli Mbanjwa as new players ahead of the 2023/24 season under Spanish coach Martin.
It would be the third time Jooste is playing in KwaZulu-Natal province, having spent three years at Golden Arrows between 2016 and 2019.
