Kaizer Chiefs have splashed a decent amount of cash in recent windows. It’s safe to say the results have been mixed.
Dortley is a success story so far
It’s not often that a PSL club will part with R10 million for a relatively untested young centre-back. However, the former Cape Town Spurs defender Rushwin Dortley has settled right into his pressurised surroundings, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet for Chiefs and now Bafana Bafana. Calm and cultured on the ball and impressively aggressive in the air, Dortley has what it takes to become one of the best defenders in the country. The problem with their reliance on Dortley is that he’s yet to have a slump in form, and that’s an inevitability for a player of his relative lack of experience. When it happens, who do they turn to? He’s appeared in all eight Betway Prem clashes this term.
The transfer fee spent on his seems like a bargain.
Du Preez hasn’t paid off his transfer fee at Kaizer Chiefs
Ashley Du Preez is the joint-most expensive signing in Chiefs’ history. The €600k (R11.2 million) is equal to the sum paid for Morgan Gould (inflation-adjusted) back in the 2012-2012 campaign. Can the board justify that outlay, looking at Du Preez’s output in his two-and-a-half years at the club? The club might see now as a decent time to sell the striker, given his market value of €1m. However, they’re unlikely to get anything close to that from any local buyers. There were rumours that foreign buyers were in for the 27-year-old but no offers were accepted. If they don’t get similar offers again, they’ll regret it.
18 goals and seven assists from 68 appearances in a Chiefs jersey is only a slight upgrade on the 13 goals and eight assists he managed in 69 games for Stellenbosch. Given that there are better players creating chances around him, in theory at least, Du Preez hasn’t improved. For every Dortley, there’s a Du Preez.
Chiefs head to Durbs
Nasreddine Nabi ill hope that a change of scenery brings about a change of fortunes. His side lost 2-0 to Polokwane last time out, leaving them 10 points adrift of the title pace already after only eight games. They’re only six points ahead of rock-bottom Richards Bay. The Glamour Boys face Chippa United on 29 December, Golden Arrows on 12 January and Sekhukhune on 19 January, all at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Before that, they travel to TS Galaxy on Monday 16 December.
Chiefs have only played two home games in Gauteng this term. The other two were at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, a 2-1 win over Richards Bay and a disappointing 2-2 stalemate with Royal AM.
Next SIX Kaizer Chiefs matches to put in the diary
- Galaxy vs Chiefs: Mon 16 December, 15:30
- Chiefs vs Chippa: Sun 29 December, 17:45
- Cape Town City vs Chiefs: Sun 05 January, 17:30
- Chiefs vs Stellenbosch: Wed 08 January, 19:30
- Chiefs vs Golden Arrows: Sun 12 Jan, 15:30
- Chiefs vs Sekhukhune: Sun 19 Jan, 15:30
Do you think Du Preez has been a success at Chiefs?
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