Kaizer Chiefs enter the Betway Premiership’s mid-season stretch looking sharper, but that also means tough calls are coming.
A handful of players could be on their way out, either permanently or on loan.
FOUR PLAYERS EXPECTED TO LEAVE KAIZER CHIEFS IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW
Keeping experienced players who have no realistic prospects of playing is rarely a good idea. They take up valuable squad space, block the pathway for developing youngsters, and often become frustrated when minutes don’t come. That frustration can spill into the dressing room and unsettle the rest of the squad.
Fiacre Ntwari
Signed with huge expectations from TS Galaxy, the Rwandan No.1 was tipped to own the Amakhosi gloves. Instead, five shaky outings pushed him behind Bruce Bvuma and Brandon Petersen.
Then came the moment that changed everything. In the Carling Knockout against Stellenbosch FC, Ntwari refused to be substituted before the penalty shootout. Kaizer Chiefs lost the game. He never played again. The club’s technical team had to stamp its authority after it was defied in front of 45,000 fans at the DHL Stadium, with millions more watching on television.
Rwanda coach Adel Amrouche has since urged the club to let him go if he isn’t part of the plans. With trust broken on both sides, a January exit feels almost certain.
Tashreeq Morris
The arrival of Etiosa Ighodaro has shifted the picture of Kaizer Chiefs’ attack, and Tashreeq Morris has been affected the most.
Ighodaro has done everything right: scored early, impressed the coaches, and fit the profile of a modern Amakhosi striker. Morris, meanwhile, is still searching for his first goal after 11 appearances.
His physical presence and link-up play are undeniable, but the technical demands at Naturena are brutal. Add Flavio Silva, a similar striker but more polished and already on four goals, and Morris suddenly finds himself fourth in the queue. A departure in January will not be a shocker.
ETHAN CHISLETT AND NKANYISO SHINGA
When Kaizer Chiefs announced Ethan Chislett in July, nobody imagined he would struggle with the pace, physicality, and technical level of the league. Four months later, he’s only made a single appearance on the bench, with no debut in sight.
Nkanyisa Shinga signed from Portuguese second-division side FC Alverca. The KZN Academy graduate arrived as an exciting left-back. Unfortunately, he hasn’t reached the required level for Kaizer Chiefs or the Betway Premiership.
His only appearance came in a pre-season friendly against Asante Kotoko, and he hasn’t made the matchday squad since.
For Chislett and Shinga, loan deals are the sensible financial and football solutions.
Contracts:
- Ntwari: Signed in July 2024 on a four-year contract with a one-year option.
- Morris: Joined in January on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
- Chislett: Signed on 1 July on a two-year deal.
- Shinga: Signed in July on a reported three-year deal.
Read more articles by Siseko Gwegwe here.