Leonardo Castro Samir Nurkovic and Willard Katsande - Kaizer Chiefs January 12

Have Kaizer Chiefs left themselves short up front?

Kaizer Chiefs’ lack of a big, strong, front man was in evidence in their 1-0 defeat to Royal AM in their opening DStv Premiership action.

One of the issues Chiefs had against the Durban club was the inability to maintain possession in the attacking half of the field and their decision to release both Samir Nurkovic and Leonardo Castro now comes into sharper focus.

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Apart from Nurkovic and Castro, Amakhosi have lost several tall defenders who previously contributed well at set-pieces, both in attacking and defensively (Daniel Cardoso and Ramahlwe Mphahlele have left, while Erick Mathoho rarely features these days).

Smaller players can sometimes make for more attractive, free-flowing fast football, but often, a balanced approach works best.

It was an issue which Zwane admitted to after the defeat to Royal AM.

"We are still looking (for a new player). You can see the way we want to play,” Zwane told SuperSport TV after the game in Durban.

“We don't just want a striker that will come and be like the same players that we have.

"We need someone who is strong on the ball, someone who is a good header of ball, who can hold the ball for us, to join in at high speed. And that will give us that different dimension."

For the most part, a lot of Amakhosi’s transfer business was done early on, which is ideal in that it gives the new players plenty of time to settle in and ensures they are as fit as the rest of the squad. Late arrivals can often take time to get up to speed.

There is however some good news in that Chiefs have nearly six weeks (up until September 22), to find another marksman, thanks to Fifa’s decision to give clubs more time as a consequence of the knock-on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The challenge though is that there are not many options available in terms of finding a big target man who is up to the quality Chiefs need.

What club would want to part ways with one of their best players weeks into the new season?

And whoever Amakhosi sign, if they do, will need time to settle in; by that time as much as a quarter of the league season could be gone.

Amakhosi’s clearout could come back to bite them.

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