By
Kaizer Chiefs utility player Njabulo Blom will not be joining SuperSport United in the near future, CEO Stan Matthews has told SABC Sport.
The 22-year-old Bafana Bafana international is in the final months of his Amakhosi contract and would be eligible to sign a pre-contract from 1 January with a club of his choice, should the Glamour Boys not act quickly to complete a new deal.
Blom is at an impasse with Chiefs over an improved deal beyond the end of the 2022/23 season, and his agent Rob Moore previously told Metro FM that the club did not want to pay Blom what he is worth.
Since then, the player has been linked heavily with SuperSport, as SABC Sport understands the 22-year-old was offered to Matsatsantsa on a free transfer.
But Matthews has now ruled the Tshwane side out of the running due to financial reasons.
“Blom is a very good player, someone our coach [Gavin Hunt] knows well and respects highly. But he is a Chiefs player and a player on a wage bracket that, for us, isn’t in our range. It’s a non-starter," the Matsatsantsa boss explained.
"Njabulo Blom is not an option to play for SuperSport United at all – there’s nothing more to discuss about it."
Matthews insisted that even if they are not paying a transfer fee, the defender would still be too expensive because of what his package could potentially cost.
“Even on a free,” he added. “We’ve got quite a clear funding model at SuperSport that we’ve settled on and have to operate within. That means getting players that we can afford, that can stay at the club and grow in an upward trajectory.
"We have to stay true to our funding model and that means respecting the wage brackets at the club – what we can and can’t pay players. We are not in a position and we won’t be in a position to jeopardise our stability by overpaying for players with money we don’t have.”
Blom could still end up in Tshwane, with reigning DStv Premiershiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns also interested, while Orlando Pirates also can't be ruled out if Chiefs don’t keep him, believes Matthews.
“He’s going to be a player that the big three are going to fight over, and we can’t go into that war – I can’t go into a gunfight with a pocket knife. We have a different model of recruiting and identifying players.
"That means respecting the budget parameters my shareholders have even me. We simply can’t afford Blom, and I feel terrible even talking about a player that belongs to Chiefs. We have never been contenders to sign him, there’s no real prospect of him ever playing for the club,” Matthews insisted.
