Having seen promising talents slip through their fingers in recent years, Kaizer Chiefs appear to be taking decisive action to secure one of their defensive prospects.
After being given his senior debut late last season, Amakhosi are believed to have offered 21-year-old defender Aden McCarthy a long-term contract.
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A Chiefs insider with oversight of Chiefs' academy-to-senior team pipeline has indicated that McCarthy has been offered a new three-year contract which will see him stay at the club until June 2028.
"Yes, he was training with the senior team for some time but he was still a DDC registered player. That's why most of his games that he was playing in was in the DDC. He was using his DDC youth contract but now he has been offered a three-year senior team contract which will run from July this year until June 2028. It's believed that coach Nasreddine Nabi wants to use him more next season as they face some changes in the defence. That's why they want to keep him for those three years and beyond," the insider told Soccer Laduma.
Meanwhile, a second insider stated that the chance of McCarthy moving to Europe is still on the cards after spending time on trials there.
"You remember he went for trials in Moldova? Yes, that opportunity is still there. They just wanted him to play more regularly at a higher level and now that he was given a debut and also the chance to play for Bafana Bafana he could still return to Moldova. It's just a matter of time. And with the senior team three-year contract, the club stands to benefit from that as they will have to sell him when that chance comes," the second source told the Siya crew.
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The 21-year-old son of former Chiefs defender Fabian McCarthy has represented South Africa at Under-20, Under-23, and South Africa's COSAFA Cup team which reached the semi-finals of the tournament currently being played in Bloemfontein.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for official comment on the situation but there was no response at the time of publishing.
The securing of McCarthy represents a triumph for Chiefs' youth development, with the club clearly determined not to repeat past mistakes that saw promising talents like Omega Mdaka and Puso Dithejane leave for rivals.
By offering a substantial three-year senior contract, Amakhosi are not only protecting their investment but also positioning themselves to potentially benefit financially should European interest eventually materialise. For McCarthy himself, following in his father's footsteps at one of Africa's biggest clubs while simultaneously building his career creates an ideal platform for his continued development.
