Would former Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa be a good fit for Kaizer Chiefs?
Mabasa is currently a free agent after leaving the Buccaneers at the end of the season and it was perhaps inevitable that links with Chiefs would emerge, though he has indicated that nothing is imminent without completely ruling out the move.
He is certainly a proven quantity in the Betway Premiership and would likely improve Chiefs given their style of play, but with a new coach yet to be appointed at the club, it may be that any incoming transfers are on hold.
Last season, Chiefs used Guinea-Bissau striker Flavio Silva in that lone striker role and he scored 10 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions.
That is by no means a poor return, but if Chiefs are to improve, they need a forward capable of netting somewhere between 15 and 20 goals. And such players are incredibly hard to find in the Premier Soccer League.
Sede Dion won the Golden Boot last season with 14 league goals in 27 appearances for Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Mabasa scored eight goals in 21 appearances last season, most of them while on loan at Stellenbosch FC after falling out of favour at Pirates. The Winelands club declined the option to make his move permanent.
He has 74 goals in 249 appearances in his PSL career, a record that very few current forwards in the league can match. He is also only 29, so he still has several more seasons ahead of him. His aim will be to reach the 100-goal mark.
It seems he will not be short of choices ahead of the new campaign.
“Look, I won’t lie, there has been a lot of interest (in signing me). It’s just a matter of sitting down with my family and taking the best route possible, not only for them but for me and my career,” Mabasa was quoted as saying by SoccerBeat.
“So nothing official has happened yet, but it will happen soon, and all the details will be known very soon.”
Chiefs also signed Nigerian forward Etiosa Ighodaro at the start of last season, but he barely featured, and the same applies to Tashreeq Morris.
One interesting side statistic ... Mabasa has never scored against Chiefs in 13 previous matches for his various clubs.