Durban City club chairman Farook Kadodia has revealed how his side remains in the hunt for a high-profile striker despite facing competition from other clubs.
The chairman admitted his KwaZulu-Natal club is playing a waiting game for former Orlando Pirates star Zakhele Lepasa, who has attracted widespread interest following recent international appearances.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, newly promoted Betway Premiership side City have been interested in signing the South Africa striker.
Kadodia revealed to the Siya crew that they are still willing to sign Lepasa based on certain additional factors and that they are waiting to hear if no other club signs him.
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"If he is available then I will see. I will look at how many games he played at CHAN. How many minutes he played and will take it from there," Kadodia told Soccer Laduma.
The Siya crew contacted Lepasa's agent to comment on Durban City's view and to provide the latest on the player's situation, but no response has been received by the time this report was published.
The chairman, Kadodia also provided an update on another striker who has been training with the club, revealing they are not yet ready to make a commitment to him.
Kadodia added that, at the moment, the team is not yet ready to sign former Mamelodi Sundowns striker Phakamani Mahlambi, who has been training with the team for some time now.
"No. No. (Mahlambi) is far away (from being ready). He is not in the condition that we can sign him now. So the coach has to decide how long it will take, yeah. I can't comment on that to give false hope to be honest with you. The coach will decide," Kadodia stated.
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Durban City's pursuit of high-profile strikers reflects the ambitious approach many newly promoted clubs are adopting. With Lepasa's experience and Mahlambi's training ongoing, Kadodia's honest assessment suggests the club is taking a measured approach to building a squad capable of avoiding the relegation battles that have claimed other promoted sides over the years.
