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Asanele Velebayi, Etiosa Ighodaro and Luke Baartman, Kaizer ChiefsBackpage
Seth Willis

Nasreddine Nabi reveals Etiosa Ighodaro & Lebohang Maboe blow ahead of Kaizer Chiefs against Sekhukhune United! Opens up on involvement of new players - 'We have to be very careful'

The Glamour Boys have been busy in the almost concluding transfer window, bringing in 11 players to bolster their squad. Some have not yet made their debut for the Soweto giants who are enjoying a good start in the PSL.

  • Chiefs set for another test

    Kaizer Chiefs will host Sekhukhune United in the Premier Soccer League outing to be staged at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

    The fixture is vital since the winner will go to the top of the table thanks to their good start in the ongoing 2025/26 campaign.

    A good number of the 11 players signed haven't made their competitive debut, and some will be aiming to play against Babina Noko.  

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  • Lebohang Maboe of Kaizer ChiefsKaizer Chiefs' WhatsApp Channel

    Ighodaro and Maboe set to miss game against Babina Noko

    Etiosa Ighodaro and Lebohang Maboe are among the new players yet to make their competitive debuts.

    The Tuesday game comes too soon for the duo; the Nigerian was injured in training and has not since recovered for the top-of-the-table clash. 

    Maboe is still recovering after undergoing surgery, which has not been specified.

    "Maboe had surgery a few weeks ago, and Ighodaro was injured a few weeks ago," coach Nasreddine Nabi said in his pre-match interview. 

  • Why are Chiefs cautious on introducing new players?

    Amakhosi have won four out of the five PSL games; interestingly, they haven't conceded a goal. Coach Nabi has explained why some new players might not make their debut in the mid-week assignment. 

    “There are players who have been recruited, but they are in different conditions. Some of them came to us without having proper pre-season work where they were, or didn’t have a club; some had pre-seasons but got injured like Ighodaro,” Nabi stated.
    “That’s why we need to be very careful in incorporating the new players because we didn’t recruit them to rush them.

    "We recruited many players, young players also, because we’re looking to the future of the club," the Tunisian added.

    “We will incorporate them step by step; there are some that are ready and there are some that are not because of the reasons I cited before. 

    “We have to be very careful how we incorporate them, and we need to look at the squad we have, the squad is very big, almost 40 players, which means we need to be careful in how we select the players. But we’re sure these recruitments will give us the consistency we need during the whole season," Nabi concluded.

  • Nasreddine Nabi, Kaizer Chiefs, August 2025Backpage

    Why is this season crucial for Nabi's Chiefs future?

    Despite winning the Nedbank Cup last season, Chiefs disappointed in the PSL, where they finished ninth despite some impressive signings made.

    Nabi has been boosted by the arrival of some good and experienced players, meaning he has no reason to struggle.

    If he fails to deliver, chances are high that he might be fired even before the season ends.  

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