Any transfer window will open up plenty of possibilities for DStv Premiership clubs, especially the “Big Three”.
Defending league champions Mamelodi Sundowns have already made their intentions clear by snapping up one of the brightest prospects in the country in Zuko Mdunyelwa, while sending left-back Sifiso Ngobeni out on loan to AmaZulu.
A stacked Orlando Pirates group has not been tinkered with yet, with coach Jose Riveiro perhaps looking to find solutions from his current high-quality squad as they make a surge for a CAF Champions League spot.
Kaizer Chiefs were recently reported to be in advanced talks with Sundowns academy graduate Keletso Makgalwa, who now plies his trade in the Motsepe Foundation Championship for Upington City. Makgalwa and a host of other names will continue to be linked with the Soweto giants, considering their opening half of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Amakhosi will return to domestic action next month in sixth place on the league standings, 11 points off log-leading Sundowns, who have played three games less. Chiefs also failed to win either the MTN8 and Carling Knockout Cup competitions, which saw the sacking of their first head coach this season, Molefi Ntseki. However, they are just five points away from second- placed Cape Town City.
Many experts and former Chiefs players have suggested that if the club were able to lift the coming Nedbank Cup and finish in either second or third place in the league, it would be a successful season. That begs the question: Do Chiefs need to go into the transfer market to have a realistic chance of salvaging their season?
Arguably not, as the club’s under-pressure board does not have to succumb to familiar insults, as another spree in the market would suggest further confusion.
After splurging on 10 players in various positions before the beginning of the season, it would not make football sense to quickly abandon the aspirations surrounding those signings.
Granted, every window presents an opportunity to plug glaring gaps in the squad. However, interim head coach Cavin Johnson’s Chiefs are still in a period of transition.
For many years, the club’s board has been seen as the principal decision-maker on the comings and goings at the club, a strategy at odds with current trends among the world’s best football organisations.
Clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool and most recently Tottenham Hotspur have appointed a trusted head coach, and have followed his leadership concerning the types of players required at the club. It’s no surprise that Sundowns lead the country’s new football era, having supported the visions of Pitso Mosimane, Manqoba Mnqgithi and now Rulani Mokwena.
Chiefs have enough quality in their current group to contest for a CAF spot, and put together a cup run, and should therefore keep their chequebooks closed until July at least.