Kaizer Chiefs are spending freely before the Betway Premiership season. This means a lot of players need to pull their socks up.
Mduduzi Shabalala started the 2024-2025 season encouragingly but fell off as the climax approached.
Samkelo Zwane’s future is also unclear, with the club pursuing holding midfielders in the market.
Finally, some good news for Kaizer Chiefs fans
Let the ‘Mayele to Kaizer Chiefs’ nonsense be a lesson to us all
Mdu Shabalala has plenty to prove
At the start of 2024-2025, Mdu Shabalala was a critical component in the Chiefs side, operating from the number 10 role. His output was healthy, too. However, that dwindled dramatically. After 27 league appearances, he scored four goals and claimed a solitary assist. He was limited to a substitute’s cameo in Chiefs’ Nedbank Cup win over Orlando Pirates. Only a bold man would predict that Mduduzi Shabalala will leave Chiefs in the winter, but his long-term prospects don’t look great. The writing isn’t on the wall yet, however, and it’s up to the player to prove how much he wants to become a legend at the club.
Vilakazi has a big season ahead of him
Mfundo ‘Obrigado’ Vilakazi is still only 19, so time is on his side, but a player of his talent needs to start more games, more often. If Gaston Sirino is slowly phased out of the side, then Vilakazi’s route to the first team could be clearer. Meanwhile, stylish 23-year-old holding midfielder Samkelo Zwane might need to look elsewhere for opportunities. Thabo Cele and Sibongiseni Mthethwa are the likely starting pair in midfield, but Siphesihle Ndlovu’s arrival and rumours of a move for Lebogang Phiri will have Zwane sweating.
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Which of these three players has the biggest chance of succeeding at Kaizer Chiefs?
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