Kaizer Chiefs target’s value peaked at R77 million

A decade ago, Thulani Serero was at the peak of his powers. Why are Kaizer Chiefs still being linked with the veteran?

Serero’s had a stellar career

Thulani Serero made 11 appearances in the esteemed UEFA Champions League, the last of those was in the 2014-2015 campaign for Ajax Amsterdam. In the early days of his career, Serero dazzled for Ajax Cape Town as an attacking midfielder. A Classic number 10. He was named the PSL player of the season in 2010-11, rewarding his creative displays for the Mother City side. His value peaked in 2015 while with Dutch giants Ajax when he was estimated to be worth R4m (R77 million).

Balled with Ødegaard

Serero has spent the majority of his playing career in Holland’s Eredivisie. He was with Ajax for six years from 2011-2017, where he made 121 appearances for the club. One pretty cool thing about Serero is that once upon a time, he formed a super-efficient midfield partnership with current Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard. The pair dovetailed wonderfully at Vitesse Arnhem in 2018 and 2019 with “Cream” as the deepest-lying player in the Vitesse midfield and Ødegaard shuttling ahead of him in the number 8 role. Not dissimilar to how he currently operates with the Gunners.

Is Nabi still the right man for the Kaizer Chiefs job?

It doesn’t look like it. Sure, the Glamour Boys have booked a place in the Nedbank Cup quarters and they’re still in the hunt to win that trophy. Failure to do so, however, would mean 10 years without silverware. That’s not Nabi’s fault at all, but have they improved under the Tunisian tactician? They are 17 points adrift of the leaders already after 17 matches and only three clean sheets in the Betway Premiership to show for their efforts. Nabi’s major signings in his first window were defensive players so surely this tally of shutouts should be higher? Also, why would the club let go of a versatile, talented performer like Thatayaone Ditlhokwe whose best years are still ahead of him? Chiefs need leaders, and they’ve just sold one for a relatively paltry sum of money. Maybe he was desperate to leave.

Can Serero still deliver the goods to the PSL?

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