Durban — Kaizer Chiefs begin their hugely anticipated 2022/2023 campaign this week with a trip to Royal AM at the Chatsworth Stadium and club sporting director Kaizer Motaung jr has urged the club's supporters to establish a sense of patience ahead of the new season.
Amakhosi have publicly backed head coach Arthur Zwane as well as Dillon Shepherd, who will serve as his assistant in not only motivation but also in the transfer market as the club looks to rediscover a sustainable model that will cultivate success for many years to come.
Motaung jr, a former player himself, took his chance while on SAfm to send out a message to the Amakhosi faithful to establish a sense of enthusiasm and patience ahead of what is expected to be an interesting season.
“It's very important that we approach this season realistically, we are still in a recovery phase not rebuilding therefore we do ask that the Khosi nation have a tremendous amount of patience with this team,” he said.
The Naturena-based club were one of the busiest in the transfer market as they hauled in all of eight new players into their set-up following the release of a number of their more experienced players.
The club has not only roped in the playing personnel and given the technical team a facelift, but have also filled integral components of fitness and nutrition with the acquisition of former University of Pretoria fitness guru Muzi Maluleke - and Motaung believes it's all of these changes that should inspire support among the club's fans.
“We need the club’s supporters to get behind us because we have begun to form the foundation of what we need to accomplish in terms of recruitment and the physical aspect of the players, but we cannot develop a playing philosophy and patterns of play in a matter of weeks,” he said
"We know we have to balance the building with results but at Kaizer Chiefs, you have to win a certain way therefore we're still developing the performance side of it - and if we can get that right, then we know the results will surely follow.
Both Coach Zwane and Motaung have openly admitted that the club aren’t done in the transfer market, as two key positions still remain up for grabs and numerous names have been shortlisted and are being looked at.
“I agree that we are still short upfront, we released a number of strikers last season. We've been looking, Darren Smith is no longer with us, and he’s maybe not what we need. Caleb from Burundi was also with us and has also left,” he explained.
“We also need to reinforce on the left and we are still looking for a left centre-back. Edmilson Dove is still with us, a very good player. We know what he can do and he could be a good addition to our squad.”
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