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Kaizer Chiefs coach Arthur Zwane says they won’t sign a replacement for Njabulo Blom just for the sake of signing.
Zwane also hinted that he has enough players in the pivot area, as Samkelo Zwane made his first start in the 2-0 win over Golden Arrows at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
He also said that he can count on Njabulo Ngcobo, who came late in the game and played in that position.
Blom was sold a couple of weeks ago, joining St Louis City in the MLS, to end what was turning out to be a nasty relationship between their graduate player and the club.
With him gone, especially as he was playing so well of late including the Soweto Derby win over Orlando Pirates in October, one would expect Chiefs, if they are looking to string wins and challenge the coasting Mamelodi Sundowns, a replacement is needed.
“I hear a lot of people are saying we need to beef up, but we are not just going to beef up for the sake of bringing new players,” said after the win in Durban on Saturday.
“If Samkelo would settle, (I’m fine). We also played Mapholoba today in that position just to see if he would be able to cope, how he can settle in that in terms of the structure. He’s got the quality and the ability, there’s no doubt about it.
“We won’t just do a panic signing, we will go for the needy. When I say “needy”, it is where we want to beef up where we say ‘we are lacking here, we are lacking there’.”
Chiefs can also call upon Phathutshedzo Nange and Cole Alexander in the central midfield, but all of them have featured peripheral this season, with Yusuf Maart being a mostly used player in that role twinning up with Siyethemba Sithebe.
But Sithebe has not been playing of late, as he was on the bench in the Arrows win. iDiski Times recently revealed that Chiefs are looking at offloading him during the January transfer window.
Zwane said, in fact, what they are looking at the moment is the centre forward to help Caleb-Bonfils Bimenyimana.
The Burundi international was one of the scorers against Abafana Bes’Thende, tucking away on his turn before Edmilson Dove joined him on the scoring chart for the first time this season.
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Bimenyimana is now the league top scorer with seven goals, one ahead of Peter Shalulile and Bradley Grobler.
“Realistically, we are looking for a striker. If we get a striker, yes,” Zwane said.
“But a striker that will come in and add value. A striker that can help the likes of Wandile Duba to grow, not a player that will just come and add numbers.
“If we don’t get the quality that we are looking for, we will rather play Duba and he will grow, he will be a better player and he will start scoring goals.”