By
Kaizer Chiefs Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Junior has explained why the club has not released most of their young players on loan this season.
Currently, with a registered squad of 38 players, Chiefs have only loaned out Samkelo Zwane and Happy Mashiane to Siwelele FC this season.
Just a few weeks before the transfer window closed, Amakhosi’s outgoing coach, Nasreddine Nabi, had hinted that he would love to see the numbers reduced as he wanted to work with a smaller squad.
However, armed with experience from previous seasons, Motaung believes that this is the best way to handle this.
Chiefs also have experience of loaning out players, and they are utilized accordingly at the clubs they have loaned them out to.
A player like Donay Jansen was loaned out to SuperSport United last season and only featured in three matches throughout the season, before being dropped down to their reserve team.
Motaung says this experience has led to them having a different approach in developing their young talent.
"We have a very clear plan in terms of the younger players who came on board, and really impressed during pre-season.
"It is sometimes better to retain your youngsters in the same environment, whilst they still get minutes in the DDC together with training with the first team. Sometimes this is a better strategy than loaning a player for the sake of loaning a player."
With Chiefs also campaigning in the CAF Confederation Cup this season and involved in three more domestic competitions, a large squad becomes essential due to the demanding travel schedule and tight fixture programme.
CAF allows teams to register up to 40 players.
As Chiefs edge closer to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup, which will only be the second time they reach this stage in the inter-club competitions, Motaung says they were very strategic this season in recruiting not only quality and experienced players but also those who have played at this level.
Players like Lebohang Maboe, Paseka Mako, and Thabiso Monyane have experience in CAF Champions League knockout stages.
Chiefs brought in 11 new players this season, and so far, they have only used five of them, due to various reasons, including injuries, legal issues, and adaptability.
There’s a strong feeling that this could be the best recruitment phase for Chiefs since the 2012 season, also a testament to the great work of the club’s Head of Scouting and Recruitment, Tembela “Tera” Maliwa.
Motaung explains the idea behind their recruitment plan.
"It has always been about creating cohesion in the playing group. From our side, there were specific positions we wanted to reinforce given our assessment of last season.
"You can never solve all your problems in one transfer window, but we have made meaningful strides in terms of bridging the technical quality.
"The next five-year plan is for us to compete on all fronts, and not just domestically."
