Nasreddine Nabi has had the rare comforts of over two months in pre-season and finally enters the fray on Saturday with focus zooming in on him as the man in charge at Kaizer Chiefs.
This is a job that Nabi has taken over with Chiefs at an all-time low after finishing 10th last season.
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He has been handed the relay baton with so much ground to cover following what happened under Cavin Johnson.
Seven new signings have been made in Bradley Cross, Inacio Miguel, Gaston Sirino, Bongani Sam, Rushwin Dortley, Fiacre Ntwari and Njabulo Blom, so the expectation is that there will be an improvement.
Some will argue that it is not just an improvement that is needed but a step up towards restoring Chiefs to its glory days of years gone by when they were a dominant and not the faded force that they have withered to.
Provided that all is in order with his work permit, Nabi will be on the bench on Saturday at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein when the Soweto giants face Marumo Gallants in the club's first league match of the Betway Premiership.
The Tunisian-Belgian has already had his earnings from the months of July and August and must now show the public why he is the highest-paid in the league.
The 58-year-old has activated his release clause at FAR Rabat by agreeing to pay two months' worth of his salary as compensation.
This translated to 60 000 Euros (approx. R1,18 million) for those two months.
Nabi signed a two-year deal with the Moroccan army club when he joined them in July 2023 after a successful spell with Young Africans in Tanzania, where he won six trophies in two years.
In moving to Naturena, his earnings went up by 33,5% to 40 000 Euros (approx. R788 000), making him the top earner in the league ahead of both Manqoba Mngqithi at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates' Jose Riveiro.
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His early stay has come while being resident at an upmarket apartment in Sandton, located a stone's throw from Nelson Mandela Square.
While the money is down to the benefit of how he negotiated his package, it will count towards the weight of expectations on his shoulders in awakening the sleeping giant.