Durban - AmaZulu Head Coach Brandon Truter is currently monitoring his first pre-season at the club following his arrival at the halfway point of last season.
The 45-year-old mentor has had an opportunity to be directly involved in the club's transfer business ahead of the new season and has been impressed with the calibre of players the club has managed to attract.
Truter believes with the current group, albeit with one or two other back-up arrivals, he has a strong enough squad to challenge for all the trophies available this season.
"I fully understand why people might have been surprised when the club released 15 players from a squad that has recently qualified for the (CAF) champions league but the club and the board have made their intentions clear with the type of signings they're bringing in," he said.
"We have brought it a lot of quality rather than quantity and it shows at training, it's a level which I've never seen before."
"We have brought in players that have won things before and we're hopping that rubs off on everyone else as well and with that mentality I don't see a reason why the team won't be challenging on all fronts this upcoming season."
Usuthu have been one of the busier teams in the transfer market as club owner Sandile Zungu looks to build the club into what he deems is in line with the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and the Soweto giants.
They have managed to secure the services of George Maluleka, Dumisani Zuma, Gabadhino Mhango and Bafana Bafana youngster Ethan Brooks for what is expected to one of the most interesting seasons for the Kwazulu Natal based side.
Under the stewardship of former coach Benni McCarthy, the club were able to finish runners to Sundowns in the 2020/2021 campaign, earning their first ever spot in the CAF champions league.
Truter has expressed the kind of pressure that comes with working for a club like AmaZulu and how he deals with the expectations set for him by the board.
"AmaZulu is a big club and right now we have a chairman that is very ambitious. I could sense when I came in that their achievements with the previous coach wasn't enough," he said.
"I know exactly what I've gotten myself into agreeing to join the club but in order for one to take up this sort of job you need a certain level of confidence and I'm confident of the team around me and I don't see why we can't finish the year with a trophy in our cabinet.
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