Kaizer Chiefs must make room for youngsters in their attractive project for the season

Rome wasn’t built in a day, I get it, and it’s an unending process to develop a player. But I feel for most of Kaizer Chiefs’ youngsters!

Chiefs have been busy this transfer window, signing 11 new players to strengthen their squad for the new season as they want to compete on all fronts, including in the CAF Confederation Cup.

The new signings include some well-known names in the top flight, such as Khanyisa Mayo - who arrived at the club’s base in Naturena on Friday - Lebohang Maboe, Siphesihle Ndlovu, Paseka Mayo, Thabiso Monyane, and Etiosa Ighodaro.

The signings of these players, and others such as Luke Baartman and Asanele Velebayi, are a strong indication that coach Nasreddine Nabi and his technical staff are now done with “the process” and are going for the jugular.

That must be music to most Chiefs faithful, as the club has struggled to live up to their “mighty” status in the last 11 seasons after winning silverware - the Nedbank Cup - last season for the first time in a decade.

Yet if you’ve been an admirer of some of the youngsters in the team - like yours truly - then you can’t but be wary of the uncertainty that’s looming over their places in the senior team setup.

Again, I must say, I get it, football is played for results and then to entertain people. And if Chiefs are going to achieve their respective targets this season, then they need all the experience and help they can get going into the season.

So I can’t fault the club for going after players they think are best-suited to help them in their pursuit for glory, instead of baby-sitting youngsters and being patient with them as they make the jump from the development ranks into the senior team. No!

But I am sure there are many hearts, like mine, that would be broken if the likes of Mfundo Vilakazi, Wandile Duba, Thulani Mabaso, and Naledi Hlongwane are thrown aside, especially when talent is thriving at rivals, including their sworn enemies Orlando Pirates.

While the duo of Vilakazi and Duba are not without faults, which have exposed their unreadiness to be fully-fledged senior players, they have shown heart since their respective promotions.

Vilakazi keeps Chiefs’ supporters on the edge of their seats with his nippy feet and silk passes, while Duba wears his heart on his sleeve, wanting to win every time. A feat that drives him and the team forward or inadvertently causes him to be aggressive.

Hlongwane and Mabaso have done little in the senior team to write home about, but the fact that they were with the team during their tour of the Netherlands must have made them believe that their dreams are close to becoming a reality.

Hlongwane, particularly, made his senior debut in Chiefs’ opening game of the season when they beat Stellenbosch 2-0 away. He hardly put a foot wrong, which is why he must be longing for a second chance to impress Nabi in an official game, having the coach been on compassionate leave during his start.

Of course, the sidelining of the youngsters might come in dribs and drabs and be temporary, especially if the team continues with the base of grinding results week in and week out at least halfway through the season as they’ll be given an opportunity to showcase their talent.

But it won’t be easy to wait, as that could go either way. It could urge them to keep knocking on the first team’s door by putting in the work at training, or it could completely demoralise them, especially if they know that they are just training and won’t even make the final squad on match day.

So, that’s why I can only hope that Nabi has a player and team management skill set which will make sure that everyone is given equal attention. He doesn’t want a situation where some players don’t pull their weight around, lamenting that they should have been sent out during the transfer window – even if it’s on loan, especially the youngsters.