Junior Khanye raises concerns over Kaizer Chiefs' new signing Langelihle Phili - 'Who’s going to cook and dish for the boy?'

Kaizer Chiefs announced the arrival of Langelihle Phili from Stellenbosch on Monday afternoon.

The 21-year-old winger becomes the fourth signing under the leadership of new head coach Fernando Da Cruz.

Junior Khanye believes that Phili has the quality to represent a club of Chiefs' stature, provided he maintains his focus.

The analyst shared his thoughts on the winger's potential. "He’s a player for a big team, and it’s been long coming," said Khanye on iDiski TV.

"I mean the boy worked for it and he has bright future if he can remain humble when he arrives in Johannesburg because it’s different from Cape Town.

"I think it’s a good signing, but if they won’t compliment him…It’s like saying you want to eat good food, but you don’t buy the ingredients, so it’s going to be difficult.

The primary concern for Khanye is the lack of a playmaker to supply the new arrival.

He questioned whether the current squad has the technical profile required to get the best out of a winger like Phili.

Khanye elaborated on this tactical void by saying: "Who’s going to cook and dish for the boy?

"Do they have a proper number 10 at Kaizer Chiefs who can fetch the ball, rotate it, and drive the midfield? I mean a playmaker? They don’t have that type of player.

"You have released [Gaston] Sirino, and not to say Sirino was great at Kaizer Chiefs, but he’s better compared to the players they have," he continued.

Khanye drew parallels between Phili’s arrival and the struggles of high-profile former attackers like Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly.

Despite their immense experience and quality, he argues they were often overwhelmed because they were expected to carry the team single-handedly.

"It tells you they don’t want to spend money, and they should have spent money on at least eight, nine, even 10, 11 players because they can’t promote from their development structures," Khanye added.

"Worse for the boy, he doesn’t have much experience. Yes, he has potential.

"Khama and Keagan Dolly were experienced, but they were overwhelmed with pressure.

"That boy needs people who will compliment him like a proper number 10, but he’s a good signing, a crowd puller.”

As Da Cruz continues to reshape his squad, the spotlight will be on his technical team to ensure the new arrivals settle in quickly and hit the ground running.

The South African junior international, meanwhile, faces the challenge of adapting to the intense scrutiny and expectations that come with representing the Soweto giants.

It now remains to be seen whether the French tactician will hand the 21-year-old his competitive debut in this weekend's MTN8 Cup quarter-final.