Kaizer Chiefs have stuck to their guns regarding their youth policy after they turned down another offer from a European club for one of their emerging talents.
Chiefs are building a reputation for not being pushovers when it comes to their development players after the Siya crew previously reported that they turned down a R3,4 million offer from Belgian side KVC Westerlo, as they did not meet their evaluation of the player.
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The latest news in that space, as reported in edition 1293 of Soccer Laduma, is that Amakhosi have turned down an offer from Israeili outfit Maccabi Haifa for the services of striker Wandile Duba.
According to Siya sources, the Naturena-based side were reluctant to enter into formal negotiations with the Greens after they were approached through the club's network in the country.
Duba has emerged as one of the standout players currently in Chiefs' Diski Challenge side and it seems the Soweto giants have belief that the likes of Duba and Shabalala will find opportunities in the first team with Arthur Zwane at the helm.
The Glamour Boys seem to have overhauled their football strategy, with Zwane, previously a development coach, tasked with closing the gap between the youth teams and the senior side.
Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has also previously observed that Chiefs have taken a different direction under Zwane, with the vision of focusing on young players.
"There's a huge metamorphosis – it's not even a change, it's like the team has taken a different direction, particularly from the vision that the club, you can see, has set," Mokwena previously said to the media in a press conference.
"And when you watch them now, the strategy in the transfer market is also to get younger and they also promote and give opportunities to Bruce Bvuma, Mduduzi [Shabalala].
"That is the direction that they've taken [now] and a direction they haven't taken in a very long time," he said.
"But it looks like the cycle is changing from how the vision has been set from the top, and therefore that influences a lot more things like the selection of the coach, which is Arthur and he knows the DNA of the club, he played for them, worked in the academy and served as assistant to many of the [previous] coaches."
Zwane has already shown willingness to blood these youngsters after he started with Duba as the only striker in the Macufe Cup against Royal AM.
Another Diski Challenge player, Samkelo Zwane also had supporters interested in seeing more from him after his impressive cameo in midfield against Thwihli Thwahla.
Zwane says more of the youngsters from the academy will be given a chance.
"Yes, Samkelo is promising, he is doing very well, one of the reasons we said let's get him to the first team," Zwane told journalists at the club's open media day.
"Him and Duba, is simply because they have been doing well for themselves. We're happy for them.
"Only time will tell when it comes to Samkelo on when he will be given the opportunity in the first team but it's gonna happen very soon, him and Duba. And not only him and many other youngsters as well," he added.
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