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Etiosa Ighodaro during the 2024/25 Betway Premiership match between Stellenbosch FC and AmaZulu at the Danie Craven Stadium on 15 April 2025

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has commented on reports linking the Soweto giants with a potential move for Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro, who spent last season on loan at AmaZulu.

The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a switch to Naturena during the current transfer window, as Amakhosi continue to explore attacking reinforcements for the 2025/26 campaign.

Read: Chiefs Considering Technical Team Boost With Khumalo Promotion

However, speaking to journalists during the launch of the new Betway Premiership season at The Galleria in Sandton on Tuesday, Nabi stressed that while Ighodaro is a player of interest, any potential move remains in the hands of club management.

“That player is a player that belongs to another team with administrative issues,” Nabi said when asked about Ighodaro. “But he, or another striker that we have listed as our potential players, will be welcome. We will wait to hear from our administration if he or another player is going to join,” the coach said.

The Tunisian tactician, who will be taking charge of Amakhosi for a second successive season, is believed to be closely involved in shaping the club’s transfer strategy.

Though he stopped short of confirming formal talks with Mamelodi Sundowns, the club that holds Ighodaro’s rights, Nabi was clear in his assessment of the forward’s talent.

“I saw the player last season playing for AmaZulu and I believe he is a good player,” Nabi added. “But he’s a player that doesn’t belong to our club right now, and we can’t really talk about it,” concluded the coach.

Ighodaro impressed in patches during his time at Usuthu and previously at Chippa United and remains a player with strong potential.

While Nabi has been cautious not to speak out of turn, the fact that Ighodaro is among the names on the club’s radar suggests that Amakhosi are serious about addressing their long-standing striker problem.

Read: Durban City Eye Move For Ex-Pirates Young Star Mahlonoko

Whether or not the deal materialises remains to be seen, but the door appears open, pending what Nabi referred to as “administrative issues.”

The Siya crew will continue to monitor developments in this story.

Photo by Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix 

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Zakhele Lepasa has been linked with Durban City.

Durban City coach Gavin Hunt has spoken about his interest in Zakhele Lepasa and Lebohang Maboe, but it appears their heads may have been swayed elsewhere.

Lepasa was released by Orlando Pirates recently and has joined South Africa’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) squad. As a free agent, Lepasa will be able to join a club of his choice when he returns from the competition which kicked off this past weekend.

READ: Cardoso Praises Mabena But ‘Plays Too Much For The Public’

Maboe, meanwhile, was let go by Mamelodi Sundowns after he spent the last few months of the 2024/25 campaign on loan to SuperSport United.

Hunt has revealed that he called both players, but they have not shown a desire to play for the club as yet.

“I phoned both. I think Lepasa’s head is somewhere else. I think he wants to go somewhere else. And Maboe had a shoulder injury and he said he would get back to me and he has not got back to me. Maybe they don’t want to play (for Durban City), I don’t know,” Hunt said to Soccer Laduma.

READ: Cardoso’s Stance On Ribeiro, Shalulile, Mudau & Lorch

City signed experienced campaigners such as Darren Keet, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Trevor Mokwena and Haashim Domingo. After winning promotion, Hunt felt it was important to bring in some experienced campaigners who can replace some of the players who are no longer with the club.

“With Darren, we have a goalkeeper that left last season. The nine and 10 left, so Haashim and Trevor Mokwena come in. We had to replace there. We’ve got Poggenpoel as well. Players were not there, so we had to bring in players. Most of them are free and they are good players. They will do a job for us.”

City start their Betway Premiership campaign with a clash against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium this Sunday.

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Stellenbosch FC’s MTN8 quarter-final hero Langelihle Phili may have to wait a little longer before he cracks a place in the starting line-up, according to coach Steve Barker. 

Phili is one of the most promising young attackers in the country, having played a considerable role in helping the SA U20 team to the Afcon title earlier this year. 

The 20-year-old showed his prowess in front of goal again last Sunday by coming off the bench to net the match-winning goal in extra-time to see off AmaZulu at the DHL Stadium.

The youngster would no doubt have wanted to continue the momentum in the much-anticipated Betway Premiership opener against Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday (kick-off 5.30pm). 

“Everybody is knocking on the door,” Barker said, at the Premiership launch in Sandton on Tuesday. 

“That’s the nice part, especially young players. They are hungry to play, hungry to start. But he plays in the same position as Sanele Barns, who scored two goals on Sunday, so it doesn’t make it easy.”

Barker was, though, looking forward to Phili building on his positive start to the new season. 

“It’s nice when a player comes on and wins the game for you. Langelihle is a very exciting player. I am looking forward to him having a breakthrough season. 

“I think scoring in the first game of the season will give him the real confidence and belief that he can reach the potential that he has.”

Barker’s attention is fully focused on turning the tables on Chiefs in the season opener after the Amakhosi held the upper hand over their Western Cape rivals last season. Nasreddine Nabi’s Phefeni Glamour Boys achieved a hat-trick of victories over Stellies in all competitions and it still rankles with the veteran coach. 

“If I look back at last season, there were a lot of highlights, but if you had to ask me what was frustrating from last season, then it would definitely be the three games we lost to Chiefs last season,” Barker said. 

“Two of the three, I felt we were unlucky not to at least get a point, or take the game into extra-time. So, it was a bit of a sore point for us.

“But as I’ve said, we can’t dwell in the past. We have some exciting new players that have joined us. We are expecting a big tough match on Sunday, but we are getting used to playing these types of matches.”

Barker is also hoping that his two new foreign signings — Turan Mantov from Azerbaijan and Belgian defender Henri Stanic, who was last playing in Liechtenstein— will have their work permits granted by the Department of Home Affairs in order for them to take the field on Sunday.