With a massive overhaul of the technical team already widely expected, Kaizer Chiefs are yet to make a call on the future of assistant coach Dillon Shepard, KickOff understands.
Following a dreadful campaign that saw them end the season in an embarrassing 10th spot – their lowest league finish in the PSL era – Amakhosi are expected to make major changes ahead of the new season.
READ | Chiefs hold crucial meeting with technical team
This publication broke the story that last Friday, Chiefs held a meeting last week with the club's technical team to discuss the fate of several technical team members, including that of interim head coach Cavin Johnson, who will not be staying on as head coach.
Word now reaching the KickOff.com news desk is that the future of Sheppard remains in the air and will likely lie with how proceedings go with the incoming coach.
The retired ex-Bafana Bafana star has one year remaining on his current contract with the club and has so far survived the axe during Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane, Stuart Baxter and Molefi Ntseki's respective dismissals.
Chiefs are understood to be in the final stretch of their search for a new head coach, with Nasreddine Nabi being the frontrunner.
Negotiations are already underway with the Tunisian-Belgian, as previously reported by this website.
Should Sheppard opt to leave or be relieved of his duties, it is believed he would be entitled to a massive payout equivalent to three months of his salary.
Chiefs are understood to have a similar payout structure for all coaches or technical team members they let go before the expiry of their contracts.
Alternatively, though, the Soweto giants could keep Sheppard for another season to see out the rest of his deal, although recent history suggests otherwise.
It is believed the former Mamelodi Sundowns could be holding out for a payout rather than running down his contract and leaving 'on a free', so to speak, later on.
Amakhosi have shown no fear in pulling the trigger when it comes to retaining coaches, with Hunt parting ways with the club just a year into his three-year deal.
ALSO READ | Chiefs and Nabi open talks!
Middendorp and Stuart Baxter also suffered the same fate in their respective second tenures at Naturena.
Chiefs have also shown the same shrewdness with their players; a settlement was agreed for the release of Kamohelo Mahlatsi just one season into his two-year deal.
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