Done Deal! Bafana Bafana star Mbekezeli Mbokazi's club beats Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns to signing of Puso Dithejane

Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have been beaten to the signature of exciting Rockets creative attacker Puso Dithejane.

The Premier Soccer League duo has been targeting the 21-year-old South African attacker to help strengthen their respective squads.

Since his unceremonious exit from Kaizer Chiefs three seasons ago, Dithejane has been rapidly developing, as seen in the 15 games he has already played before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) break. He managed to find the back of the net four times and provided six assists in the process.

The four strikes were in 12 PSL games, with as many assists coming in the competition as well, which have seen Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire get his signature. 

Recently, Chicago Fire confirmed the signing of Bafana Bafana sensation Mbekezeli Mbokazi after a good campaign at Orlando Pirates and the national team.

The club's headcoach Gregg Berhalter has explained why The Men in Red went for Dithejane as the preparations for the new season continue.

“We’ve been scouting him for a while, and he’s one of the most highly regarded talents in South Africa right now,”  he told MIR97 Media.

“He’s a very dynamic winger; he can change the game. He’s a young player who needs development, but really great attitude on the pitch, really good speed, and one-on-one ability.  

“He has a lot of attributes that make him an exciting winger, and that’s what we wanted to add," Berhalter continued.

During his time at TS Galaxy, Dithejane played 63 games across all competitions, where he managed to score seven goals and provide 13 assists.

Berhalter has now explained the logic behind signing the 21-year-old on a reported four-year contract.

“We think we have a really good attack, and we wanted to bolster that,” the tactician continued.  

“We know our schedule is packed next year, we need alternatives, and we think with Jo Bamba, Phil [Zinckernagel], Maren [Haile-Selassie], Chris Mueller, and Puso now, we have a really good winger group," he concluded.

Before his move to the Major League Soccer outfit, Tim Sukazi, who is the owner of TS Galaxy, explained why he did not entertain the offer from the Brazilians.

“It’s true, we received an offer from Sundowns, but we respectfully rejected it because it didn’t meet our valuation for the player,” the vocal administrator told UKhozi FM. 

He further explained why a move back to Naturena wasn't going to happen despite the many links from those associated with the club.

“There’s no Chiefs offer for Dithejane at the moment. I don’t want the Chiefs fans to raise hopes, thinking there’s an offer," Sukazi clarified.

“What happened is that on Sunday afternoon, I was with Dithejane. He showed me missed calls. One was from Kaizer Jr, Tera Maliwa, and coach Vela Khumalo. There was even a player from Chiefs who phoned. These missed calls are coming straight to the player, not me. If they want to put in an offer, we will talk with them.

“It’s surprising because football life is really something else. You must remember how Dithejane left Kaizer Chiefs, where they told him to be a ball boy when he wanted to play,” he concluded.