Parker questions Chiefs’ player recruitment: ‘Do we thoroughly profile?’
Kaizer Chiefs legend Bernard Parker has questioned the club’s player recruitment strategy in the last 10 years, asking whether they thoroughly profile potential signings.
The Soweto giants’ ongoing quest to end their near decade-long trophy drought has seen numerous squad overhauls in recent seasons. But despite consistent efforts to bolster their ranks, silverware has remained elusive.
At the start of the current season, under new head coach Nareddine Nabi, Chiefs made seven signings: Gaston Sirino, Fiacre Ntwari, Bradley Cross, Bongani Sam, Rushwin Dortley, Inacio Miguel, and Njabulo Blom [on loan].
This influx of talent was further supplemented during the January transfer window with the addition of Thabo Cele from FC Fakel Voronezh, Tashreeq Morris from SuperSport United, and Glody Makabi Lilepo from French side Valenciennes FC.
BARNARD PARKER RAISES CONCERNS OVER CHIEFS’ PLAYER RECRUITMENT
Parker believes that a lack of thorough profiling has hampered Chiefs’ player recruitment. He argues that this deficiency has resulted in the club frequently signing and subsequently offloading individuals.
The ex-striker was speaking on the sidelines of the Carling Black Label campaign #NoExcuse, most recently at Four Season Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg.
In the past few seasons, several past signings have failed to live up to expectations at Chiefs. These include players such as Lazarous Kambole, Anthony Akumu Agay, Jasond Gonzalez, and Christian Saile.
Kambole, for example, managed just two goals and one assist in 46 appearances across all competitions. Saile, who recently moved to SuperSport United, recorded seven goals and four assists in 57 matches for Chiefs. González’s stint with the club saw him make 13 appearances without registering a single goal or assist.
However, under Nabi’s guidance, the Amakhosi appear to be charting a new course. This follows the appointment of Tera Maliwa as the club’s chief scout.
“I think what has been happening, to be honest with you, in the last 10 years, what Chiefs have been doing is keep on signing and signing. The next thing they offload, offload and sign again,” said Parker.
“But do we thoroughly profile the player? Do we thoroughly bring in a player who has shown consistency over three years, not six months or a year?
“It’s important because every player that needs to don a Kaizer Chiefs jersey needs to be a seasoned campaigner, not just a six-month form that he hit.”
The former Bafana Bafana international further emphasised the importance of identifying areas for improvement within the team and signing players who can address those needs.
“Also, when we sign players, can we identify where we can strengthen the team and what we have inside in that way? If we just add on thinking and hoping the player will hit the ground running, I think it will be just a continuous thing where the club will fall short every year.”
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