Kaizer Chiefs’ season has just hit another unpleasant hurdle but should have had a contingency plan for this.
Dortley ruled out for the season
According to Goal.com, 22-year-old central defender Rushwin Dortley needs to undergo knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign. Dortley has been a near ever-present for Amakhosi in his debut campaign after a move from Cape Town Spurs, appearing in 18 of their 20 Betway Premiership matches. To say that his absence will be a massive blow is a huge understatement. Without Dortley for the remainder of 2024-2025, Chiefs might face an uphill battle to claim a finish inside the Betway Premiership top eight.
Why didn’t Kaizer Chiefs rotate more?
At 22, Rushwin Dortley is still learning his craft as a central defender. He has immediately become an indispensable member of their first team, but that has come at a cost. We can’t say for sure that he wouldn’t have sustained his season-ending injury if he had played fewer games, but rotation is always a good idea when it comes to younger players.
Risky waiting game for Salum
Azam FC have revealed that Amakhosi can trigger the 27-year-old midfield schemer’s buyout clause but it would come at a huge $10 million (R183 million) cost. The more prudent course of action, however, would be for Chiefs to wait for his current deal with the Tanzanian side to wind down. That would allow them to sign the player for nothing, although they’d need to cough up a significant signing-on fee to the player and then match his wage demands. Salum wants something in the region of R200k a month to stay with his current employers. The other risk attached to this strategy is the emergence of other suitors. Can Chiefs fight off the likes of Sundowns and other African giants if they register an interest in Salum?
Will Chiefs regret relying too heavily on Dortley?
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