Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Njabulo Blom was on the radar of one of the Red Bull-owned clubs before his switch to St Louis City SC.
Blom left Chiefs in January 2023 to join Bradley Carnell’s St Louis. He spent 20 months playing in the MLS before returning home for a loan spell with Chiefs.
Interestingly, it has emerged that the 24-year-old was a target for the Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, who are part of a diverse football ownership portfolio.
The energy drink giant’s expansive football network includes Mamelodi Sundowns, RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, New York Red Bulls, RB Bragantino, and, most recently, Leeds United. With former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp now heading their soccer operations, the Red Bull group continues to expand its global footprint.
BRADLEY CARNELL REVEALS NJABULO BLOM WAS IN NEW YORK RED BULL’S RADAR
Bradley Carnell, in a recent interview with FARPost, revealed how he tracked Blom during his time with the Red Bull group.
The 47-year-old tactician served as the assistant coach under American mentor Chris Armas since March 2017 at The Metros, as NY Red Bull is affectionately known. In 2020, he took over as head coach following Armas’ axing.
“I’ve always looked at Njabulo Blom not just because it’s Kaizer Chiefs,” Carnell said. “Because I like his values as a player and the type of profile I was looking for as a midfielder.”
The former Chiefs defender picked Blom’s “good instincts and behaviour” as some of the traits that impressed him. He adds, “You don’t have to tell him what to do”.
While sifting through old scouting notes on his laptop, the ex-Bafana Bafana international was reminded of when he began scouting Blom during his tenure at New York Red Bull.
“He has those behaviours to play the way I like to play. It was a no-brainer,” he explained to FARPost. “Even when I was at Red Bull, it was pretty funny; when I was looking at my old laptop, I found some scouting reports that I had made of Njabulo while I was working at Red Bull.
“I was even looking at Njabulo from a New York Red Bull perspective back then. He’s always been a name and a player that I was keen on. I was really happy to get him in the building here [at St Louis City SC].”
INJURIES HAMPERED BLOM’S STINT AT ST LOUIS
And ‘Stopper’, as he is affectionately known, did not disappoint when he finally linked up with Carnell at St Louis. According to the Johannesburg-born mentor, Blom became one of the best defensive midfielders in the MLS.
“He became a really good holding midfielder, not just for our team, but also in the league,” Carnell said. “Unfortunately, a couple of injuries hampered his development and progression. Playing away from home becomes lonely. It’s not easy. When you get injured, your brain starts to think differently, and you start missing home. He departed after I left. It was unfortunate, but I really like the player that he is.”
The Bafana Bafana star is working on rediscovering his form at Amakhosi. Kaizer Chiefs coach Nabi is a strong believer in the player’s potential and is slowly but surely easing him back into the team, respecting his injury history.
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