Kaizer Chiefs captain Keagan Dolly went from being a budding youngster to becoming a Bafana Bafana regular and Amakhosi's most valuable player.
Who the player is:
Keagan Dolly is a Bafana Bafana international and current Kaizer Chiefs captain and is a product of the Transnet School of Excellence. He cut his teeth in the professional ranks with Ajax Cape Town (Now Cape Town Spurs) in 2011 before being sold to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2014. He left the Brazilians for Europe in 2017 where he joined Montpellier in France where he spent four years before he signed for Chiefs in 2021.
What Transfermarkt says:
Valued at €1.50m (±R29.9m), Dolly is ranked as Chiefs' most valuable player and the third most valuable South African player at present. Only Lyle Foster €2m (±R39.9m) and Teboho Mokoena €1.60m (±R31.9m) are valued higher than the Amakhosi attacker. With his current market value, Dolly has equaled his highest-ever valuation during his time with Montpellier. His initial market value over 11 years ago was a mere €25 000 (±R498 000).
Contract status:
In the club's confirmation of Keagan Dolly's arrival at Naturena in 2021, Chiefs announced that the attacker had signed a three-year contract.
But as reported by the Siya crew at the time, the 30-year-old does have an option to have the length of the agreement extended by a further two seasons in June 2024. This means that Dolly could remain at Naturena until at least 2026.
Buyout clause:
It is unclear whether Dolly does have a buy-out clause in his contract. The player's decision to return to South Africa came on the back of interest in Europe and on the continent, in Egypt in particular where Al Ahly were said to be interested in his services prior to him choosing Chiefs. The player was Amakhosi's marquee signing and a significant investment fot the Glamour Boys, therefore, it won't come as a surprise that Chiefs included a buy-out clause in Dolly's long-term contract.
How much in SA and where:
With Dolly understood to be on a lucrative deal at Chiefs, very few teams would be able to afford the Amakhosi number 10 at this point. Dolly's former club Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates the only two clubs who could potentially prize him from Chiefs if for some reason he wanted to part ways with Chiefs. Having just turned 30 in January, Dolly still has a lot of football left in his legs, with his coach Arthur Zwane praising his professionalism off the field, something which could go a long way in prolonging his career even further.
How much in Europe and where:
Dolly joined Montpellier in 2017 in a deal believed to be worth €1.7m (±R28m), following a successful season with Mamelodi Sundowns, in which he won the CAF Champions League. There were teams like Olympiacos chasing his signature at the time. Given his current age, Dolly would go for a bit less than his R28m price tag in Europe, although indications are that the player's football is set to be played out in South Africa.
Dream move:
As a youth, Dolly spent some time training with Spanish giants Atletico Madrid as well as Real Madrid during his time at the Mamelodi Sundowns academy, his style of play suiting the Spanish game. Back in 2015, Atletico were said to be monitoring Dolly's progress closely, although nothing came of it at the time. In 2017 speculation surrounding his future was rife, with Sundowns claiming that Manchester City were keen on his services, however, Greek giants Olympiacos were ahead of them in the queue. French outfit Rennes were another side believed to be keen on Dolly at the time. More recently, Al Ahly and an unnamed Turkish team were said to be interested in the attacker, but it was his beloved Chiefs that won the race for his services.
