As Kaizer Chiefs look set to welcome Tunisian-Belgian coach Nasreddine Nabi at The Village, there are atleast three areas of concern the Tunisian-Belgian coach will have to immediately address.
Amakhosi ended the season in disappointing fashion with a 2-0 defeat to relegated Cape Town Spurs in May. The loss saw them end 10th on the DStv Premiership log table, their lowest finish in the PSL era.
Unsurprisingly, massive efforts have been made by the club's hierarchy to recruit long-time target Nasreddine Nabi and those efforts have yielded results, with the 2022/23 CAF Confederations Cup winner's announcement as Chiefs head coach imminent.
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Nabi is expected to travel to South Africa after FAR Rabats' Throne Cup campaign, where they face MAS Fes in the semi-final on Sunday.
His assistant coach, Fernando da Cruz is expected to land on South African shores a week earlier. The 58-year-old, and his technical team, will have to address several factors with urgency if they hope to the Soweto giants into a competitive force.
Goal scoring crisis
At the top of the list of areas to be addressed is Amakhosi's goal-scoring crisis that saw them score just 25 goals in 30 league matches last season. For context, league winners scored 54 while second-placed Orlando Pirates scored 44 in the same period.
The disappointment has been largely been from the strikers; new signing Ranga Chivaviro could only manage four goals in his 24 appearances, as did Christian Saile.
Jason Gonzalez is set to leave without ever finding the back of the net in his 13 appearances, with Ashley du Preez providing the only respectable contribution of six goals.
Other noteworthy goal contributions came from Pule Mmodi and Edson Castillo from the midfield.
Not resting on their laurels, Chiefs have already begun the search for a new striker. Bafana Bafana duo of Lebo Mothiba and Luther Sigh have been considered, with the former reportedly visiting the Kaizer Chiefs Village recently.
Chiefs are also believed to be scouring the continent in their search.
The central midfield crisis
Chiefs boast a midfield that includes plenty of options in the form of Samkelo Zwane, Edson Castillo, Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Yusuf Maart and Siyethemba Sithebe. However, among the listed players, only Maart has established himself as a concrete and consistent starter. The former Sekhukhune United man featured 28 times for Chiefs – only Given Msimango featured more (30).
Sithebe, who is expected to be offered a new contract, proved reliable towards the end of the season. Zwane was effectively frozen out, failing to make a single start the entire season.
Mthethwa has been lukewarm since his big-money arrival from Stellenbosch while Edson Castillo started strongly, but gradually dropped until he was unrecognizable by the end of the season.
Nabi and his technical team will have to decide if they go shopping for a solid midfielder or find a way to bring the best of what they have.
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The Khune challenge
The Tunisian will also be expected to make the final call on the future of club legend Itumeleng Khune.
The 36-year-old is one of seven players out of contract with Amakhosi at the end of June, and while Khune is believed to have a backroom staff role lined up at the Village, the shot-stopper himself has been vocal on his desire to continue playing.
"This journey is far from over. We will continue our partnership and I am grateful for the support I have received. This is not a farewell; it is an acknowledgement of my service. We will sit down (with Chiefs' management) and plan for the future, but as of now, nothing is certain," Khune said after the match against Polokwane City where Chiefs had honoured him for 25 years of service.
"I believe I still have a lot to offer on the field. My legs are still strong, and I am committed to representing Kaizer Chiefs with pride and dedication for the foreseeable future."
Should Khune retire, Amakhosi will also be likely to either enter the transfer market for a third goalkeeper or throw their faith in DDC graduate Bontle Molefe, who has been training with the first team. The sooner the final decision is made, the better.
Chiefs will also have to make a call on the exiting technical staff, including current assistant coach Dillon Sheppard and fitness coach Muzi Maluleke, among others.
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