Chiefs, Pirates add some beef
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have both strengthened their squads in what must have been the busiest all-round January transfer window in Premier Soccer League history.
Siphelele Ntshangase with Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela and football manager Bobby Motaung. (Gallo Images)
Yesterday, however, on transfer deadline day, Amakhosi and the Buccaneers released a couple of players on loan, that have struggled to make an impact.
Chiefs announced that they had agreed to let midfielder William Twala go on loan to Maritzburg United for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign, while Pirates have sent winger Riyaad Norodien on loan to relegation-threatened Platinum Stars.
Twala has made just six substitute appearances for Steve Komphela’s Amakhosi all season, and hasn’t played at all since September, while Norodien did start for Pirates in their 2-0 win at Platinum Stars last Saturday, but that was just his fourth league appearance of the season.
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Norodien is the second Pirates player to join Dikwena on loan in this transfer window, after defender Ayanda Gcaba also joined them earlier in the week.
Stars are desperate to get themselves off the foot of the table, and announced Norodien yesterday as one of four deadline day signings – the others were defender Peter Molete and midfielders Wangu Gome and Nyiko Tshabangu.
A frenetic window has seen a host of big name signings, with Mamelodi Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates all seriously beefing up for a shot at major honours. Masandawana brought in pricey acquisitions in Jeremy Brockie and Aubrey Ngoma, while also snapping up Uruguayan winger Gaston Sirino.
Chiefs put some weight behind what might be Komphela’s last shot at silverware as Amakhosi head coach, bringing in Siphelele Ntshangase, Kabelo Mahlasela and Leonardo Castro.
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Pirates, meanwhile, have brought in Zambian striker Augustine Mulenga and central midfielder Xola Mlambo.
Bidvest Wits, unsurprisingly given their predicament at the end of the year, were probably the busiest side of all in the transfer window, bringing in Edwin Gyimah, Sifiso Myeni, Denis Weidlich, Lehlohonolo Majoro, Thobani Mncwango and Robyn Johannes, though Johannes will only join at the end of the season.
SuperSport, meanwhile, finally found a replacement for Brockie this week by signing Evans Rusike from Maritzburg United.
After all this frenetic activity, deadline day was fairly quiet, though there was the possibility of more signings before the midnight deadline.
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