With Kaizer Chiefs currently in talks with Khama Billiat about a new contract, the club has been encouraged to keep the Zimbabwean international in the squad.
Speculation has been rife in the media in recent weeks that the star could leave Amakhosi after he reportedly refused to take a salary cut.
Billiat has come to the end of his contract with the Soweto giants but the club is willing to tie him down on a new deal to follow in the likes of veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and defender Sifiso Hlanti who have had their deals extended.
It is understood that Chiefs are keen to offer Billiat a one-year contract extension.
As reported by Sowetan, Chiefs' football manager Bobby Motaung confirmed, "I don't know that (Billiat is refusing to accept a reduced package). Khama is negotiating a new contract with the club (since) his contract has expired. It's not a salary cut (that's being negotiated). A salary cut happens when somebody is earning so much and the employer cuts his salary. With Khama, there's no salary cut because the negotiations are still about the new contract. How can you cut the salary of a person who doesn't have a contract? The negotiations are ongoing and we hope he stays but we don't know what will come out of the negotiations at the end of the day."
Mzansi football legend Brent Carelse – who is a former teammate of Billiat – has weighed in on the 32-year-old player's situation at the Naturena-based outfit.
The Good
"Definitely, for me, he's still a top, top player and a capable striker who can score goals. He can make something out of nothing and is somebody you definitely want to keep in your team. He is a good player. If you can look at him from his time at Sundowns, he played almost every game and he was performing. He was scoring and assisting and he was doing everything and it became a habit for him," said Carelse.
The Bad
"Look, for me, and I even said it when he had a bad patch that I think Khama at Chiefs hasn't really given them what he is capable of giving. I think that's because he has had to stop and start all the time because of injuries and so on. I think it has been tough for him," he said.
The Ugly
"On top of the injuries that he has had to deal with, Chiefs is a huge club and there is pressure in the team. Imagine having to come back from injury gradually and there is pressure to deal with. He had to come back at the time the team was struggling and now he has to be the main man. It was a bit tough for him. You are always going to be judged on what you give on the field but for me Khama has gotten enough time to earn his stripes at Chiefs," the former attacker added.
"I would give him another year or two"
"I would give him another year or two. At Sundowns, fortunately for him, Khama Billiat at the time was surrounded by top players. It is like in a match, if you are there at the right time, things will work out for you as a striker, especially. The ball falls for you in the box, and you are there, it's a goal. They were a good team that was performing at Sundowns and they were winning a lot of games under Pitso (Mosimane). When (Keagan) Dolly came back (from overseas) and to Chiefs, they thought the same thing would happen. It didn't and that's football hence I'm saying I still maintain that Khama is a top-quality player. For me, from all the strikers they have he still stands out," concluded Carelse.
For how long should Chiefs extend Billiat's contract?
