‘With the squad Chiefs had this season or last season, the maximum you can achieve is top four,’ said the former Kaizer Chiefs co-head coach.
Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Khalil Ben Youssef has revealed the players he wanted Amakhosi to be looking for in the transfer market, before he and co-head coach Cedric Kaze left the club.
Chiefs opted not to renew the contracts of Ben Youssef and Kaze at the end of the season, despite the pair guiding Amakhosi to third in the Betway Premiership and a place in next season’s Caf Confederation Cup.
Chiefs need …
“The team needs one left winger, one midfielder, one left full back, one goalkeeper and one centre back,” Ben Youssef told Andile Ncube on Sports Amplified.
“The ‘keeper is to support Bruce (Bvuma) and Brandon (Petersen). The other four players must be top players ready to play immediately. They must not have injuries or not be playing. They must be from the top division and ready to play if we want to compete to win the PSL.
“Otherwise they (Chiefs) can continue the same, bringing in players without experience and you continue to build step by step and you take your time to be ready to compete.”
Chiefs have already signed a centre back in Thabo Moloisane from Stellenbosch.
When asked about that, Ben Youssef responded – “You have to ask Fernando Da Cruz”.
Da Cruz has been strongly linked to taking over as Chiefs head coach, though Amakhosi have yet to announced his appointment. Ben Youssef insisted all he know is what he has seen on social media.
Ben Youssef – ‘I swear I don’t know’
“I swear I don’t know (who will take over),” he added.
With their current squad, Ben Youssef believe Chiefs cannot realistically challenge Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns at the top of the table.
“Some people had a problem between realism and ambition,” he said.
“The ambition is to win everything but you have to be realistic. With the squad Chiefs had this season or last season, the maximum you can achieve is top four.
If you compare the quality between us and Sundowns and Pirates, there is a huge gap.
“You can see Bafana. 30-40 percent are Sundowns and 30-40 percent are Pirates. 20 percent are other teams. Chiefs have one player (Bradley Cross) and he is only on the bench.
“When you find Bafana with five or six Chiefs players starting games, then you know the team is ready to compete and win the league.”