When a new tactician takes the helm at one of South Africa's biggest clubs, transfer support becomes a crucial factor in their potential success, but questions have emerged about whether the club's hierarchy fully backed their coach's vision in the market.
Despite Kaizer Chiefs bringing in many new faces across two transfer windows, insiders have now indicated fascinating details about the club's financial approach to rebuilding under Nasreddine Nabi.
When Amakhosi hired the Tunisian tactician at the start of the season it is believed that the coach had requested a number of new signings which could boost the team going forward but the main question despite signing many players, is did Chiefs management back Nabi in the transfer market?
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Insiders at the club close to the whole recruiting and signing process believe that with the budget the club had at the start of the season they did enough to support the coach in his approach to the first season.
Talking to Siya crew, the insiders privy to reliable information revealed that both parties were satisfied with how things worked out though the coach could have wanted more in terms of players signed.
"You know the club hierarchy believed that this season was a foundation season and they believe they met the coach's expectations. The management believes that the coach was given enough support in all the needed areas like commercial, financial and players to do what he wanted to do. You know even when a club has a big budget it's not that they use all the money at their disposal but management bought as many players as they could with the budget that the team had and that's why they feel they backed the coach in the two transfer windows," the source told Soccer Laduma.
A second source also reminded readers that Chiefs even increased the initial budget believed to be between R50m to R60m so that they could sign extra players in the January transfer window.
"The club was 100% behind the coach in all his plans. After not signing every player that he could have wanted they had to go out of their way in January to sign three extra players. Apparently that was meant to give the coach what he wanted to improve the squad. So from the board and management side, they did their best," the second insider stated.
In the first window period Chiefs signed Fiacre Ntwari, Bongani Sam, Rushwin Dortley, Inacio Miguel, Bradley Cross and Gaston Sirino and in January they added Glody Lilepo, Thabo Cele and Tashreeq Morris.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment but there was no official response at the time of preparing this story.
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This insight into Chiefs' transfer strategy provides important context for evaluating Nabi's first season, which culminated in Nedbank Cup success despite league inconsistency. The investment represents backing, though perhaps not at the level of their wealthier rivals. As Chiefs prepare for next season's domestic and continental campaigns, the question shifts from whether management backed their coach in the past to how they'll support him in the upcoming window.
With the foundation now established and trophy success achieved, expectations will naturally rise for both recruitment quality and on-field performances. The coming transfer period will reveal whether Chiefs' hierarchy views last season's investment as sufficient or merely the starting point for a more ambitious rebuild under their Tunisian tactician.
