Nabi explains why Mayo is a priceless signing for Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi says new striker Khanyisa Mayo’s lifelong love for Amakhosi only be a plus for the club. 

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Mayo has joined Chiefs on a season-long loan from Algerian giants CR Belouizdad. The 27 year-old is the son of Patrick Mayo, who played up front  for Chiefs between 2003 and 2007. 

Chiefs’ Nabi – ‘We believe he will adapt quickly’

Chiefs tried to sign Mayo ahead of Nabi’s first season at the club. But he eventually moved to Belouizdad from Cape Town City. Now, however, the Mthatha-born striker has got his move to Naturena. 

“Mayo is a player that in my first pre-season, the club was working to get him,” said Nabi this week at the Chiefs Village. 

“It didn’t materialise and he went to Algeria. But this is a boy that since he was very young, his family were Chiefs fans. He feels this is the opportunity of a lifetime and you cannot put a price on that. 

“You know a player like that will do everything he can. He has experience, he has already been at teams where there is a lot of pressure. 

“We believe he will adapt quickly and we are hopeful he can bring us a different style of play.” 

The Chiefs head coach confirmed that Mayo is fit after a full pre-season in Algeria. Mayo, however, is unlikely to feature in the Betway Premiership against Sekhukhune on Tuesday as he waits for his registration to be confirmed. 

Bafana players

Nabi, meanwhile, was delighted that two Chiefs players – Thabiso Monyane and Mduduzi Shabalala – were with the Bafana Bafana camp for the recent Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria. 

Monyane even came on against Nigeria at the Free State Stadium and impressed as South African held on for a 1-1 draw. 

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“It is always an honour to have players from Chiefs representing the nation. We are hopeful in the future we will have even more players. But that requires a lot of work and sacrifices from the players to be at their consistent best.”