Kaizer Chiefs have the opportunity to sign a player who slipped through their fingers and now there’s a risk that mistake will be repeated.
Ex-Kaizer Chiefs star Dithejane is turning heads
TS Galaxy playmaker and former Amakhosi DDC star Puso Dithejane is staying put at The Rockets, at least until a satisfactory offer arrives for the 20-year-old. Rumours are also linking him with foreign clubs after he impressed in a pre-season friendly against German Bundesliga outfit Augsburg. The versatile youngster has slotted in at number 10 but can also operate as a winger or a full-back. He made 16 appearances last term. Chiefs’ decision to allow him to leave was viewed as a mistake; failure to sign him in January isn’t likely to go down well with the club’s supporters.
According to The Citizen, Chiefs haven’t acted on their supposed interest. Is Mr Motaung Jr sitting on his hands?
Ngcobo’s troubling injury record by the numbers
Nkosingiphile Ngcobo’s lengthiest absences at Chiefs have been in 2018-2019 when he was out for 252 days (22 matches) with an achilles tendon rupture. In 2022-2023 he missed 120 days (16 games) with a muscle issue. It’s a recurring problem that he can’t seem to shake.
25-year-old Ngcobo has only made one league appearance this term. 2020-2021 was a great campaign for the attacking midfielder, with 25 league appearances and four goals. However, season on season those numbers have dwindled. He notched up 16 league appearances in 2021-2022, and then 13 and 12 in subsequent campaigns. That downward trend will be a concern for the player and his manager. Ngcobo was a key operator in the last genuinely good Chiefs side that reached the Caf Champions League final in 2021 but got dispatched by Al Ahly. Has he peaked too early and struggled to reach those heights again? The numbers would suggest so. Is time running out on a Chiefs fan favourite’s career?
Will Chiefs make a bid for Dithejane in January? Is he worth the effort?
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