Chiefs blunder? Amakhosi told the signed star ‘was inconsistent & struggled to make team’

Kaizer Chiefs have signed nine players in the ongoing Premier Soccer League transfer window, hoping to challenge for top positions and make an impact in the CAF Confederation Cup.

The latest signings are Etiosa Ighodaro, Asanele Velebayi, and Luke Baartman. The trio have been tipped to add massive quality to the Glamour Boys who have finished out of the top eight in the last two editions.

However, former Cape Town Spurs goalkeepers’ coach Calvin Marlin is not convinced that signing Velebayi was the right move for Amakhosi. He argues the 22-year-old was not consistent, but believes Baartman will deliver.

Velenayi, Chiefs mistake?

“I worked with Asanele for quite a while during my time at Cape Town Spurs when Luke Baartman was still with the juniors. I remember Luke as a young player who scored a lot of goals. I’m surprised by Asanele’s signing. He was inconsistent during our time in the National First Division (NFD) and struggled to secure a spot in the first team for a while,” he told KickOff.

“But maybe he’s matured since I last worked with him over two years ago. I hope he has improved and that a team like Chiefs can help bring out the best in him. It’s common for many young players to expect to jump straight into the first team after coming through the youth ranks. So these two, I guess they were not different.

As for Asanele Velebayi struggling to make the Spurs team while I was there, sometimes this is tied to self-belief and a lack of consistency. I’m referring to doing the right things at the right time. Asanele’s off-the-ball reactions weren’t very strong, and defensively, he needs to improve. Hopefully, he has made progress in that area.

“That’s the reality of football: the more you play and stay involved, the more consistent you will become. My advice to both Asanele and Luke is not to become complacent or think they’ve made it; they need to work even harder now,” Marlin concluded.