The legendary Jomo Sono has tipped two Kaizer Chiefs new signings to add steel to the team this season.
Chiefs had arguably their best transfer window in over a decade after bringing in nine new signings for the 2023/23 PSL season.
The ‘Black Prince of South African Soccer’ has since given Chiefs’ new transfer policy the thumbs up after the massive squad investment.
Sono, who shared the dressing room with the late Pele at the height of his playing career, believes two of Chiefs’ new boys will be transformative for Amakhosi.
The Soweto giants are on a quest to reclaim their glory days, and the Jomo Cosmos founder is convinced they are on the right track.
“I looked at Chiefs. I saw Chiefs play two games, and I firmly believe they are dark horses,” said Sono. “Not [necessarily] to win the league, but to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns because they have signed some vert good players. “I saw them against Sundowns and Sekhukhune United for 90 minutes [watched the entire game]. They played very well.”
He identified Chiefs’ past struggles in the transfer market, which he believes they have fixed. “The problem with Chiefs before was that they brought in all these players and did not know where who should play.”
WHO ARE THE TWO PLAYERS WHO ADD STEEL TO KAIZER CHIEFS?
He has been impressed by Venezuelan midfield maestro Edson Castillo in the DStv Premiership. Interestingly, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, who has only played 26 minutes for Chiefs, is the other player he believes will impact the team. The man nicknamed ‘Ox’ joined Chiefs from Stellenbosch FC two days before the transfer window closed.
“They have the central midfielder, Castillo. He is in a different class. Now they’ve got Mthethwa, and they will be too formidable,” added Sono.
“He [Castillo] defends when the team is under pressure. He’s always there helping. But he also gets into the box. He’s dangerous because he gets into the box without the ball. He makes those blind runs into the box. If you look at most of our midfielders, they get into the box with the ball.
“The moment he goes wide, he sneaks into the box and gets in at the right time. He scores, he doesn’t miss. He is a very good central midfielder.”
The 29-year-old Castillo has featured in 11 games all competitions for Chiefs, scoring four goals in the process.
“With him and Mthethwa, I see them [Amakhosi] being very strong. I think Chiefs are getting it right; it’s just that supporters get frustrated quickly.”
Chiefs will be hoping that Mthethwa and Castillo can help them return to the top of South African football. The club has not won the PSL title since 2015 and are desperate to end their trophy drought.
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