Joe Crann: Edzai… As I always ask the agents, how did you get into the agency industry? When you finished playing, what made you choose player management over coaching?
Edzai Kasinauyo: There's always been a need for good agents in the game, people with the passion to help develop youngsters and help them on the right path in their career. It's not easy to find someone to guide you or to give you the head start you need, and that's what made me want to do what I'm doing.
JC: Did you ever have bad experiences as a player that made you want to do what you're doing now?
EK: If you're on the other side, how you look at things becomes difficult. You find out a lot of other things that go on in the game. Sometimes it's tricky, but I didn't do this because I had bad experiences, as a player you have to help yourself.
JC: For sure…
EK: Others can come in to guide you, but 90% of what happens to you is in your control. One thing I have seen is that some players are very stubborn and don't take the good advice that they're given. No matter what, a passion for football development is the thing that drives me most. It's not about being a moneymaking machine.
JC: Nice to know! You don't look after too many players, but one guy who has improved immensely in recent years under Stuart Baxter is Willard Katsande. How impressed have you been with his progress?
EK: You know it's a pity that this year nobody has realised how much Willard contributed to the club, even with the club's awards. He's developed in a steady way over the last three years, and it's helped having a stable coach there. Having a coach there for a long time makes it easier to develop because they're working together every season. I think that's been crucial for Willard.
JC: And do you think Khama Billiat has had a similar situation under Pitso Mosimane at Sundowns?
EK: Definitely. Pitso is a very passionate coach and is very knowledgeable. He's so passionate about making younger players stars, and I think that Khama's big season is still yet to come. I don't think that he's operating at 100% yet, I think there's a lot that he still has to do.
JC: Definitely…
EK: Khama can easily score you 15-20 goals in a season if he takes all his chances, it's just about trying to push him and make sure that he keeps improving. I can see it coming, and I know it's something that he's thinking about it a lot. He's not waiting to be told what he needs to work hard on.
JC: Excellent.
EK: Sometimes as a manager you see things and the player disagrees, but with Khama he understands completely and knows exactly what things he needs to do to improve. They are all things that he is capable of. I honestly think there's still a lot more to come from Khama, he hasn't reached his maximum potential yet...
JC: And is he still eyeing a move to Europe one day?
EK: Yes it's definitely still his goal. To go overseas you need to wait for the opportunity. There have been a lot of enquiries from a lot of clubs, but it's not always the right time. He just needs to be patient and make sure that it's the right move. He needs to be careful.
JC: Fingers crossed for him! Thanks for your time Edzai.
EK: Anytime mate.
