Even Mosimane can’t help close gap between Chiefs & Pirates, Sundowns – Masilela

There is no Kaizer Chiefs future for co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef, according to former Amakhosi defender Tsepo Masilela.

The duo took over from Nasreddine Nabi who was fired just six matches into the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League campaign. Amakhosi Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. insisted that the duo will be at the helm of the Soweto giants at leats until the end of the season.

Since Nabi’s exit, Chiefs have been pushing to deliver across all competitions; they are third on the PSL table with 27 points, two behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and one less than second-placed Orlando Pirates. The Glamour Boys are also in the race for the CAF Confederation Cup and hope to successfully defend their Nedbank Cup.

However, the club has not strengthened the squad in the January transfer window which, according to Masilela, is a sign a new coach is coming. He argues not even legendary South African tactician Pitso Mosimane can effectively deliver with the current crop of players.

New coach coming in?

“I have a strong feeling Kaizer Chiefs will get a new coach for next season. So do they want to make that mistake now of bringing in new players, give them three-year contracts, and then come pre-season, the new coach says ‘I don’t want this guy, I don’t want that guy,” Masilela told Soccer Beat.

“So if we sign players in January, we might end up stuck with a dilemma on our table. We will not know what to do. Are we going to release guys and pay them out? Everything becomes an expense at that time. I have thinking from that angle. I am thinking that they have eyed someone. They have someone in mind to take over next season.

“We don’t want to spend now because the coach will want his own players. So project 2026. I believe they need a strong coach. A manager. We are all talking about coach Pitso [Mosimane]. I have worked with him [at Bafana Bafana], I know how he manages.

“But we will need to be patient. We can’t expect coach Pitso to come in and immediately close the gap between us, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Orlando Pirates. These two teams are the high flyers. We might need to first target position three, two. Then the progress will continue. Maybe coach Pitso will do it,” Masilela concluded.