Kaizer Chiefs reassembled on Friday, 20 June for the start of their pre-season training which will later see them travel to the Netherlands as part of this year's European camp.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, four of the senior team players who were with South Africa at the COSAFA Cup - Bruce Bvuma, Aden McCarthy, Mduduzi Shabalala and Wandile Duba - will join the team on 30 June.
READ: What's Happening As Pirates Technical Team Leader Linked With Al Ahly?
An insider with oversight of Amakhosi's talent pipeline has now indicated that five DDC players are believed to have been promoted to the senior team and will travel with the squad to Holland.
The insider added that these youngsters are Nkosana Mbuthu, Thulani Mabaso, Manqoba Ozoemena, Naledi Hlongwane and Kabelo Nkgwesa, who have all apparently been promoted.
"For now all these five players have joined the first team and their visas for Holland will be applied for as they will apparently travel with the team because their promotion is believed to have been finalised and their contracts are also believed to have been already sorted. So, yeah, that's what I can tell you about these five youngsters," the insider told Soccer Laduma.
A second insider with logistics knowledge stated that the whole squad, which is expected to travel to Holland, is expected to be revealed before the end of this week.
"At the moment we can't tell you the full squad as there are new arrivals who are believed to be arriving this week and that's when the whole squad to travel to Holland will be announced but as things stand now, the five youngsters you mentioned are believed to be on that list," the Siya crew was told by the second insider.
Chiefs are expected to announce new players which may include the likes of former Orlando Pirates duo Paseka Mako and Thabiso Monyane, while the Siya crew will report on any new developments.
The Amakhosi squad is going to be in Holland for pre-season training from July 3 to 19.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment on the situation but there was no official response at the time of publishing this story.
READ: Former Teammate Tells Lorch To Go To 'Greater Heights'
The promotion of five youth players represents a significant vote of confidence in Chiefs' development structures at a time when many PSL clubs opt for more experienced signings.
The European tour will provide these youngsters with invaluable experience as they seek to establish themselves at senior level, while also offering coach Nasreddine Nabi a close look at their potential contributions for the upcoming season.
With the anticipated arrival of new signings and the later addition of the COSAFA Cup contingent, Chiefs appear to be assembling a squad that balances youth, experience, and fresh talent as they look to build on their Nedbank Cup success.
