Zwane must sign 'players that hit the ground running' at Chiefs - Brian Baloyi

Legendary South African goalkeeper Brian Baloyi says newly appointed Kaizer Chiefs head coach Arthur Zwane must recruit players that can "hit the ground running" in the upcoming season.

Zwane inked a three-year deal with Amakhosi last week after 22 years of service as a player, youth coach and assistant coach to the senior team before being given the big job.

The 48-year-old inherited a squad with an average age of 27.9, with 13 players over the age of 30, including Daniel Akpeyi, Itumeleng Khune, Khama Billiat, Cole Alexander, Daniel Cardoso and Leonardo Castro.

On Monday, Stellenbosch FC confirmed that Amakhosi have acquired the services Ashley du Preez (24) and Zitha Kwinika (28) who will join the club in July as Zwane looks to turn the fortunes of the Soweto giants around. 

Speaking to Sport24 exclusively, Baloyi, who played alongside Zwane in the early 2000s, says that his former team-mate will have to consider a lot when assembling his team.

Dealing with pressure

Baloyi also believes that after Covid-19 struck, football has not been the same, and players have not been at their best, including star performers at Chiefs.

"He will have to find the balance… and consider the lot," said Baloyi, who played 11 years for Amakhosi between 1993 and 2004.

"The last two years in football for a big team like Chiefs, most of the players that you have that has been playing in the past two years, you don’t know if they are good enough or not.

"They don’t know how to play under pressure, real pressure. They don't know how to play in the derby when there are 70 000 people. The only way to find out is when things open again. The large part of playing for Kaizer Chiefs is dealing with the pressure.

"Football under Covid has not been the same