As Kaizer Chiefs ponder the future of long-serving goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, FARPost looks at stats that the club can’t ignore.
The legendary goalie’s future hangs in the balance as his contract expires in the next few days. Just this past Sunday, Ronwen Williams was crowned the PSL’s Footballer of the Season, the first goalkeeper to be crowned as the best player since Khune in 2013. The mention of Khune evokes memories of Chiefs’ glory days.
It also raises the question of how good (or bad) Chiefs’ keepers were this season. Who would win Goalkeeper of the Season internally? In this evaluation piece, we look at the numbers behind the three Amakhosi goalkeepers this season – Khune, Bruce Bvuma and Brandon Peterson.
CLEAN SHEETS, GOALS CONCEDED, SHOT-STOPPING AND PASSING
Yes, clean sheets and goals against are easy metrics, but they only tell part of the story. We’ve gone beyond the surface to give you a more in-depth assessment of goalkeepers.
While Bvuma edged out Peterson in clean sheets, Peterson’s superior minutes-per-goal-conceded rate sets him apart. Projecting his performance over a full season, Chiefs could expect to concede just 23 goals. Applying the same formula reveals Khune conceding 36 and Bvuma 32.
The goalkeeper role has evolved, but SHOT-STOPPING remains one of the most critical KPIs. Saves and save percentages are the most used terms in keeper conversations, but even they can be misconstrued. We must consider the volume of shots faced when considering absolute save numbers.
The chart above shows how Peterson is one of the busiest keepers in the league while being a solid shot-stopper. Peterson is also the best of the three Chiefs keepers for save percentage, with Bvuma just ahead of Khune.
Khune may be less agile with age, but he still retains his GOOD PASSING TOUCH. Of keepers that played more than 360 minutes this season, Khune (82%) is third in the entire league for passing accuracy, behind only Mamelodi Sundowns duo Ronwen Williams (86%) & Denis Onyango (89%). Consequentially, he is the leader among his Chiefs peers in distribution, with Peterson & Bvuma rotating second and third in other passing metrics.
AERIAL ABILITY AND ERRORS
The modern goalkeeper is also judged on his AERIAL ABILITY, and claiming crosses is a key skill. A catch is defined as a high ball played into the penalty area that the goalkeeper catches. Once again, Peterson (1.8 catches per 90) excels, with Bvuma second (0.7) and Khune (0.5) third.
That said, Peterson is the only Chiefs keeper to have committed an ERROR leading to a shot or goal this season. However, he did not drop any balls (a high ball where the goalkeeper tries to catch the ball and gets his hands on it, but it drops from his grasp), unlike his teammates Khune (twice) and Bvuma (thrice).
We’ve tried to go beyond clean sheets and saves, but even in doing that, we’ve merely scratched the surface. Consideration must be made of what coaches ask keepers to do before evaluating them. Future analysis will look at goals prevented, post-shot xG, difficulty of shots faced, speed of shots faced, and keepers’ pass values (not volumes) and reflexes.
WHY THERE’S A STALEMATE IN ITUMELENG KHUNE’S FUTURE
Khune, a stalwart figure at Naturena for over a decade, recently met with club management to discuss his future. The discussions centred around his next move.
Crucially, Khune made his intentions clear, expressing his unwavering desire to continue playing football at the highest level. The 37-year-old goalkeeper, despite his advancing age, believes he still has much to offer on the pitch and is not ready to transition into a non-playing role.
However, the club’s management appears to have a different perspective, suggesting that Khune’s playing days may be numbered. This divergence in opinion has created a stalemate in the discussions, leaving both parties to explore alternative options.
As the negotiations continue, the footballing world awaits the final decision regarding Khune’s future. Will he remain at Naturena to continue his storied career with Chiefs, or will he embark on a new chapter with another club? Only time will tell.
Khune is the longest-serving player at Chiefs. He has played 347 games in all competitions for Chiefs. He conceded 225 goals and kept 128 clean sheets. He won seven titles: three league titles, three Telkom Knockout Cup [Carling Knockout Cup], and one MTN8 title.
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