Bidvest Wits midfielder Lehlogonolo ‘Vieira’ Masalesa has returned from his two week trial in Portugal to find out that Kaizer Chiefs are interested in signing him.   

Masalesa has been on trial at Portuguese Primeira Liga club Sporting Lisbon.
   
KickOff.com has learnt that Chiefs have shown interest in the 20 year-old central midfield.
  
AmaKhosi are keen to beef up their central midfield with young talent and Masalesa has been identified as suitable though the club must also first make some decisions about certain midfield players in their team.
 
Chiefs will need midfielders when at least two players are expected to leave the club soon.
 
The midfielder has starred at Wits this season and was named the Young Player of the Year at the club.
 
He has also been called up to the Bafana Bafana squad for World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and Botswana and a friendly against Gabon.  
 
Masalesa is a product of the Africa Sport Youth Academy and was at Platinum Stars before his move to Wits in January last year. 

Stuart Baxter has given some hint as to the type of football we can expect from Kaizer Chiefs next season. 

The former Bafana Bafana coach took over the reins at Naturena two weeks ago, and while he has admitted to KickOff.com that heknows very little about the players at his disposal, he does have a very clear of how he will want his charges to play next season.

Also read: Stuart Baxter’s message to Chiefs’ fans

“What I want to do is strike a balance between an African football that allows people the freedom to put their soul into the game, but at the same time we want to make it organised and efficient so that our football leads to us winning games and trophies and not only to make us a few friends but then disappointment,” Baxter tells KickOff.com.

“That’s the marriage I’m looking for, but I can’t promise that because at this moment I don’t know exactly how that marriage is going to look. 

“The players will tell me when I’m working with them what I need to change and what I don’t need to change, but I’ve certainly got a big picture in my mind of how I want Kaizer Chiefs to play, and I think that will suit our supporters.”

Ironically, a lack of ‘African football’ was one of Baxter’s predecessor, Vladimir Vermezovic’s, biggest criticisms, with Itumeleng Khune in particular a very vocal critic.

But while Baxter is confident of making this work, he is also realistic enough that it might take some time to perfect.

“You can talk about dreams and hopes and aspirations, but you can’t promise we are going to play a brand of football that is going to do this and that and win x-amount of trophies,” he adds.

“What you can promise is that everyone will be doing everything they can. No stone will be left unturned to try and give our supporters the success that they’ve been waiting for.”

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Kaizer Motaung will today announce the assistants for Kaizer Chiefs’ new coach Stuart Baxter. 

Baxter is on a two-year deal in Naturena and his technical team will be finalised today.

KickOff.com has been informed that Baxter may opt for two assistants – his own man and a local assistant, but nothing is cast in stone yet.

According to those in the know, Baxter’s local options are Donald ‘Ace’ Khuse, Doctor Khumalo and Arthur Zwane.

The trio are currently coaching the team, with Khuse the head coach.

Have your say on Facebook: Who do you think should assist Baxter?

Khumalo, who has been the vocal of the three since they took over from Vladimir Vermezovic, says they will respect management’s decision.

“Let’s just respect the protocol … the chairman said he is going to announce it on Friday so we just have to wait for the chairman to announce,” Khumalo says.

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Last year’s League runners-up Ajax Cape Town find themselves fighting for a top-eight position ahead of their match against Kaizer Chiefs this evening. 

Urban Warriors’ coach Maarten Stekelenburg admits the team is in a difficult situation, saying they put themselves there by losing games they should have won.

“We made it difficult for ourselves, losing the games against Bloemfontein Celtic, and now they are four points clear from us,” he says.

At the beginning of the season Ajax set themselves the target of challenging for the title, but a string of poor results and the suspension of many key players mean they have failed to come close to the form they produced last season. 

Stekelenburg admits that with the system they have in place at Ikamva it is important for Ajax to be competing for the League each season.

“At the beginning of the season we set out to challenge for the title and a couple of weeks ago we spoke about a top four finish, and now looks like we have to fight for a top eight position.

“That of course is disappointing; this is not the campaign we planned and hoped for. Tonight we are playing a team with the same story as us, they didn’t have the campaign they planned and hoped for as well,” the coach says.

Ajax have three matches left to play, and Stekelenburg is hoping to get at least six points.

“I think we need to get six points from our three games to finish in the top eight. We need to come home with the results if we are to make the top eight, it’s important for us as a team.”

The team will welcome back Khama Billiat, who was serving a red card suspension, while Granwald Scott and Nazeer Allie are still in doubt.

Taung_DailyNews

BY LOVERMORE MOYO

Kaizer Chiefs have already identified their next coach with the club’s football manager Bobby Motaung having already met with their prospective new coach Stuart Baxter during a recent visit to London.   

KickOff.com has learnt that Motaung travelled to London accompanied by Steve Kapeluschnik of Stellar Africa prior to the match against Golden Arrows at the end of last month to meet Baxter.
    
Motaung didn’t travel with the team to Durban but only arrived on the day of the match after arriving from London where the purpose of his trip was to tie down Baxter.
  
Though the details of what was agreed on during that meeting in the UK are still cloudy it is believed that Baxter has already agreed in principle to take over the Chiefs job in the new season.
 
It is no secret that Baxter will come at a heavy package but with Chiefs apparently keen to have him on board they are prepared to stretch their muscles to meet Baxter’s demands.  
    
Baxter – who had a spell as Bafana Bafana head coach from 2004-2005 – is currently without a job since being fired in Finland where he was the head coach over a year ago.
    
He was linked with the coaching job at Swedish club Malmo FF last year but he turned down the offer.
 
With Bobby Motaung having already made indications of their talk with Baxter, KickOff.com tracked down Kapeluschnik who neither denied nor confirmed his involvement in the recruitment of the 58 year-old.
  
“Those things I don’t discuss. Those things you need to talk to the clubs concerned because I cannot speak about that at all,” says Kapeluschnik.
  
The sudden ‘parting of ways’ with Vladimir Vermezovic last week after being informed by management that his contract will not be renewed was surprising in that though it was given he will not be at the club next season he was at least expected to stay on until the end of his contract in June.
   
However, reality is that in informing VV that they will not renew his contract the Chiefs management already knew of what plans they had in as far as bringing in a new coach is concerned.
 
Chiefs have in the meantime lost both games that they have played since Ace Khuse took over with the assistance of Doctor Khumalo and Arthur Zwane. 

HAVE YOUR SAY: Who should be coach of Kaizer Chiefs?

BY Obakeng Rachwene and Kickoff.com

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande says it will be a tough act for him to live up to comparisons with veteran Tinashe Nengomasha. 

The Zimbabwean has replaced his countryman in Amakhosi’s midfield in recent weeks, leading many to question whether ‘The General’s’ time at the club has come to an end.

But Katsande, who started this weekend’s Nedbank Cup defeat to Free State Stars, insists Nengomasha still has a big role to play.

“I don’t feel I am here to replace Tinashe. You know back home in Zimbabwe, we normally play together,” he tells KickOff.com.

“The good thing is that people are comparing me to Tinashe, eish, it is a big challenge because Tinashe is great player. If people say that I am similar to him it makes me really happy. It is a great honour.” 

And if he is in the process of replacing the established defensive midfielder, Katsande adds that his boots are big ones to fill.

“Tinashe’s shoes, eish, they are big – he is a great player and if you look at what he has achieved, he has done a lot. I will just try my best all the time,” the 26-year-old says.

While Nengomasha sits on the bench, Katsande is playing alongside Lucky Baloyi in the midfield and the Zimbabwean defensive midfielder admits he is enjoying his time.

“Lucky and I understand each other a lot, but we are still young and need to work hard to achieve our goals. We are always chatting about how to contain our opponents in the middle of the park, but I am happy to be playing regularly,” Katsande says.