Sibongiseni Mthethwa faces an uncertain future at Kaizer Chiefs, as he appears not to be in Nasreddine Nabi's immediate plans.
Last season, Chiefs succumbed to pressure from supporters to make a big signing, signing Mthethwa from Stellenbosch FC on the eve of the transfer window closing.
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Ox presented the technical team with a dilemma in midfield, despite the hailed signing, since he represents an old number six type, who sits in front of the defence and mainly disrupts play.
It was due to his presence as a big-money signing, after the side reportedly paid around R10 million to trigger his release clause at Stellies, that the Soweto giants ended up being too defensive, with no creativity in the center of the park.
Nabi must fix the style of play at the club, and with the Tunisian preferring possession and attacking football, the midfielder's role could become obsolete at Amakhosi after Njabulo Blom's return.
Considering Nabi's game model and Blom's return as a box-to-box player, Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. suggests that the number six role was under review.
Since the technical staff began, we were very clear about the game model they wanted to implement, the style of play we wanted to achieve and the kind of players we needed. Thus, even before we went to Turkey, Motaung Jr knew exactly which positions he wanted to reinforce," he said in Newzroom Afrika.
"[Position] six was one where, given the style of play we wanted to inject into the team, it was quite pivotal and important for us. As a result, we had many players on our squad audit list, and Njabulo was one of them. Njabulo has always been monitored; he's always been family.
I think it was just a matter of great timing, and he had a different direction he wanted to take in the MLS," Motaung Jr continued.
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According to Soccer Laduma, Mthethwa is considered for a loan move, with indications that he is not in Nabi's immediate plans.
The former AS FAR Rabat coach preferred Samkelo Zwane and Yusuf Maart in midfield in his first game in charge, along with Edson Castillo, who appear to be ahead of Mthethwa in Chiefs' pecking order.
