OPINION: Chiefs should have tried to sign a player like Shalulile

Kaizer Chiefs need a prolific striker like Peter Shalulile of Mamelodi Sundowns. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix Kaizer Chiefs’ failure to beef up their squad during the January transfer window is coming to bite them. This decision has come back to haunt them now.

In my opinion, poor finishing is the reason why Chiefs are out of the Nedbank Cup. I say this because they created enough clear cut chances in the game against Stellenbosch FC to win that game comfortably, but they were let down by poor finishing. Chiefs also needed one more goal in their game against Al Masry in order to automatically qualify for knockout round of the CAF Confederation Cup last weekend, but because they lacked a good finisher, they missed the chances that could have given them that goal.

While their rivals Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns beefed up their squads because they know that they need quality in order to achieve their targets, Chiefs decided to rely on the ‘process’. Mind you, ‘trusting the process’, has not gotten Chiefs anywhere in the last decade. Except for winning the Nedbank Cup last season, Amakhosi have not shown that the ‘process’ is indeed working.

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The reality is that Chiefs need a striker and not just any striker, but a striker that will be able to convert the many chances that the club creates in each and every game. In my opinion, I think the talk in Naturena about ambition, it’s just that, talk, because an ambitious team should have at least tried to test Sundowns resolve on a prolific goalscorer like Peter Shalulile. I’m not saying that Sundowns would have agreed to sell Shalulile, but I’m saying Chiefs should have at least tried to get him.

Because they need a good finisher and he fits that profile. Shalulile would not have come cheap considering his profile and his goalscoring abilities, but big clubs spend money in order to reach their targets.

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