Are Chiefs going to miss out on Gavin Hunt?

A coach normally needs at least six weeks of preseason training to get his team into a rhythm and a longer time may be needed for a new mentor.

READ: Is Doctor Khumalo on his way back to Chiefs?

With the new season penciled in for the weekend of October 16 start, teams are left with a little over three weeks to prepare for the new term as from today.

This leaves Kaizer Chiefs’ management with little time to find a new mentor to take over from Ernst Middendorp, who was fired with his assistant Shaun Bartlett last week.

Amakhosi were said to be closer to getting their man with reports suggesting that they had reached an agreement with the highly-rated Gavin Hunt. But that move now could fail to materialise with Phakaaathi getting wind that the former Bidvest Wits mentor has a juicy offer from an unnamed club in the United Arab Emirates.

“He has an offer from a club in Dubai that really appetizing and he has been talking about expanding beyond South Africa… So, this could be the chance for him to do that,” a source has told Phakaaahi.

The Daily Sun has, meanwhile, on Monday reported that Amakhosi are close to sealing a deal with Algerian coach Adel Amrouche as head coach. But when Phakaaathi spoke to Amakhosi’s spokesman, Vina Maphosa he said there was nothing new to report on with regards to a new mentor.

“Nothing so far,” was all Maphosa was willing to say.

While the players may be fit with the past season having  just ended after a lengthy Covid-19 delay, a new coach will need some time to get familiar with the players and the new environment at Naturena.