Kaizer Chiefs News Today: Trio who could be offloaded, fans slammed over ‘Mdu’ treatment & more

Latest Kaizer Chiefs news, including the three players who could leave in January and a club legend’s plea on behalf of Mduduzi Shabalala.

Kaizer Chiefs trio who could leave in January

Kaizer Chiefs have added five new faces since the window opened, with Khanyisa Mayo’s move from loan to permanent deal the headline arrival, but there are three players who Fernando Da Cruz could offload in January.

Nkosingiphile Ngcobo

The Chiefs academy graduate has struggled for regular game time this season and will need to force his way back into Da Cruz’s plans if he is to remain part of the club’s rebuild.

Paseka Mako

He arrived from Orlando Pirates last season alongside Thabiso Monyane and made 18 appearances across all competitions, but his campaign has been disrupted by a serious injury picked up on Chiefs’ pre-season tour of Spain. With the left-back position already crowded with makeshift options, a lengthy spell out could leave Da Cruz weighing up whether to keep faith with the 24-year-old.

Nkanyiso Shinga

He joined Chiefs last season and made his long-awaited debut at left-back, but has since found himself sidelined by injury along with virtually every other recognised option in that position. Da Cruz has openly admitted the extent of the left-back crisis at Naturena, and with the club still searching for a long-term fix in that position, Shinga’s place in those plans may come under scrutiny once the squad is back to full fitness.

Club legend slams Shabalala treatment

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder George Maluleka has added his voice to the growing list of club figures calling on Amakhosi supporters to show more patience with academy graduate Mduduzi Shabalala.

Shabalala has come under fire from sections of the Chiefs fan base this season, with criticism intensifying after the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 exit to Stellenbosch, in which the 22-year-old squandered several good chances. The backlash spilled onto social media, prompting teammates and club legends to speak out in his defence.

“Very touching, you know? But I think something that we need to touch on is that he is still very young. And he plays for a very big club, Kaizer Chiefs,” Maluleka said on SuperSport as per KickOff.

“You can banter and banter and crush the boy, but he still needs to go on the field and play. If you’re crushing the boy, how do you expect him to go each and every weekend and play?”

“There’s a human element. Let us think about that side of it,” he added, days after Shabalala admitted the criticism has had a mental toll on him.