Kaizer Chiefs need to make some tough decisions if they want to move forward. Sentimentality has no place in modern football.
Three popular players Chiefs might need to sell to progress
Ashley Du Preez
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.
Yusuf Maart
One reader from The South African claimed that the 29-year-old former Sekhukhune schemer is ‘past his sell-by date’ at Chiefs. Maart and Mthethwa seem to be Nasreddine Nabi’s current favoured central midfield duo and possession is nine-tenths of the law; that pairing took the pitch in the 2-2 draw with Royal AM as well as the recent disappointing defeat to Polokwane. Do Chiefs have better options though? On-loan Njabulo Blom and Venezuelan schemer Edson Castillo are certainly worth considering, for now. Maart is highly regarded at Naturena, specifically for his leadership skills, but rumours persist that Chiefs are looking for younger alternatives in his dynamic box-to-box position.
Nkosingiphile Ngcobo
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.
According to SoccerLaduma, Chiefs boss Nasreddine Nabi wants to loan Nkosingiphile Ngcobo out in January.
“Nabi is believed to be intending to loan out Ngcobo as soon as possible, probably during the January transfer window,” the inside stated.
Would you be comfortable letting these three players go, Amakhosi fans?
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