Bafana Bafana midfielder Njabulo Blom has recalled what brought about his departure from Kaizer Chiefs to the MLS club.
Blom left Amakhosi in December to sign for the Major League Soccer club St Louis SC. He was quick to establish himself as a regular under the guidance of the South African coach Bradley Carnell.
He has made 27 appearances across all competitions and of those, he started 20 times and came on from the bench five times. Meanwhile, he has been an unused substitute twice.
The 23-year-old says St Louis SC’s interest came at the right time when he was working out his next move. According to the Dobsonville-born star, Kaizer Chiefs and his camp couldn’t find each other in the negotiations for the new contract.
NJABULO BLOM ON HOW HE LEFT CHIEFS FOR MLS SWITCH
“It was in November and I was trying to figure out my next move because there are things with Chiefs that weren’t good,” he told the media.
“We were not getting [finding each other] in terms of my new contract. So, yeah, my agent told me that there’s a new team in the US and they’re kind of interested in me.
“And it might be a good move for me especially to use it as a stepping stone to Europe. And then obviously, I sat down with my mom and dad, my family.
“We spoke about it and we saw it as a good move for me, especially to grow as a human being, and move out of my comfort zone. Find myself as a young adult. So, it came about…we finalised everything in December for a move to the US.”
Blom says he’s using the MLS as a “stepping stone” to Europe and believes it’s a decent league for one to grow.
‘IT’S A STEPPING STONE TO EUROPE’
“For me, that was my goal to use it as a stepping stone to greater leagues in Europe and also to grow as a person and an individual,” he said.
“I think it really is a stepping stone especially if you’re from Africa. It’s a good league and good environment.”
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