Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs are on the cusp of landing Nasreddine Nabi, the highly sought-after Tunisian coach who has been a revelation since joining Tanzanian club Young Africans SC two seasons ago.
In the absence of an official comment from Kaizer Chiefs, it has been all guesswork, but the common thread is that the 57-year-old tactician Nabi will be the nexct coach and replace Arthur Zwane as the next coach at Naturena, the Kaizer Chiefs Village.
Reportedly, there is one minor obstacle which is about the supporting staff for the new coach. Nabi wants to bring his supporting staff which includes an assistant coach, a goalkeeper coach, and a strength and conditioning coach.
Chiefs have agreed to Nabi bringing two members of the supporting staff and the two parties are at loggerheads about a third member. That is holding up the signing of a contract between the two parties.
Chiefs want to hold on to their conditioning coach Muzi Maluleke who was appointed last year.
He is a former SA Under-17 and Under-20 cap.
Nabi’s man is Tunisian Helmi Gueldich, a holder of a PHD in exercise science. He has been working alongside Nabi for the past three years with great success.
As a member of Nabi’s backroom staff at Young Africans, the Tanzanian giants won six trophies in two seasons. This was a spectacular achievement, and it has often been pointed out that Young Africans have been in super condition since he arrived in Tanzania.
In recent weeks, Nabi has been on the radar of some high-profile African clubs like Wydad Athletic Club, Raja Club Athletic (both Morocco) and Esperance (Tunisia).
He has dual Tunisian and Belgian citizenship and holds a Uefa Pro Licence.
Meanwhile, former Bafana Bafana midfielder, 33-year-old Thulani Serero who spent eight years abroad, has become a Chiefs target.
The former PSL 2011 ‘Player of the Season’ will be out of contract at the end of the month, and there has been no talk of him staying with his club Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi. He has been at the club since 2019.
He first attracted attention in the domestic league playing for Ajax Cape Town.
After two seasons in the Premiership, he played for Ajax’s sister club, Ajax Amsterdam. He spent six seasons with the Dutch giants and played several times in the Uefa Champions League and racked up 121 caps for Ajax.
Serero is not likely to come cheap at all and perhaps Mamelodi Sundowns are the only PSL side who could afford him.
Meanwhile, Chiefs fans have not taken too kindly to the club selling defender Siyabonga Ngezana to Romanian Lige 1 powerhouse, Fotbal Club FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharesti.
The feeling is that at the time when the team is in a rebuilding process the best players should be retained. They should only be sold if they can be replaced by better players in the hope of ending the club’s eight-year trophy drought.
@Herman_Gibbs