Another season without silverware has once again placed pressure on Kaizer Chiefs to get recruit in the upcoming transfer window.
While Lebohang Maboe has shown flashes of quality in deeper areas and Siphesihle Ndlovu has slowly rediscovered confidence, the Glamour Boys still look short of the midfield depth needed to compete across domestic football and the CAF Confederation Cup next season.
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KAIZER CHIEFS NEED MORE MIDFIELD ENERGY
The modern demands midfielders who can run, press, dominate transitions and still contribute technically on the ball.
Kaizer Chiefs have lacked that balance consistently this season, especially in high-intensity matches against the league’s strongest sides.
1. Grant Margeman, 27, Siwelele FC
One player who looks perfectly suited for those demands is Grant Margeman. The former Ajax Cape Town (renamed Cape Town Spurs) and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder has quietly become one of the most complete all-action midfielders in South African football.
Raised in Bonteheuwel in Cape Town, Margeman came through the famous Ikamva system before becoming Ajax’s key player at just 18 years old in the Betway Premiership and National First Division.
Nicknamed “Pacman” because of his sharp movement and endless work-rate, the 27-year-old combines aggression, intelligence and technical quality in a way very few midfielders in the league can.
Margeman is not strictly a number six or number eight. He operates somewhere in between, constantly covering ground, pressing opponents and helping his side transition quickly from defence into attack.
Importantly, he would arrive with over 150 Betway Premiership appearances and no adaptation concerns. His previous partnership with Siphesihle Ndlovu at SuperSport United could also become important if Chiefs want greater chemistry and balance in midfield next season.
WHY ISAAC CISSE FITS THE MODERN GAME
2. Isaac Cisse, 19, Golden Arrows
Another midfielder who should strongly interest Amakhosi is Golden Arrows star Isaac Cisse. At only 19 years old, the Ivorian already looks like one of the division’s most exciting young midfielders.
Kaizer Chiefs desperately need more athletic midfielders capable of competing physically while still offering technical quality on the ball. Cisse fits that profile almost perfectly.
Although primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder, he has already shown an ability to influence attacks with three goals in 19 appearances for Abafana Bes’thende this season. That balance between defensive discipline and attacking contribution has become crucial in modern football.
Nicknamed “The Compass,” Cisse’s game revolves around positioning, tactical awareness and nonstop energy. He can operate as both a number six and number eight.
With Sibongiseni Mthethwa’s future still uncertain and the possibility of a demanding fixture list next season, Amakhosi simply cannot afford to rely on only two or three trusted midfielders again.
