Nasreddine Nabi has been a talking point since he was linked with Kaizer Chiefs last year.
The 58-year-old Tunisian coach rejected Amakhosi’s first offer last year before joining Moroccan side FAR Rabat. The Soweto giants instead went for former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki. After just three in four months, Ntseki was given the boot.
Nasreddine Nabi joins Kaizer Chiefs this week
The team struggled mostly during the 2023/24 DStv Premiership with interim coach Cavin Johnson unable to get the best out of the players. Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane was one of the names linked to the vacant coaching job at Chiefs. The three-time CAF Champions League-winning coach confirmed last month that Amakhosi had not approached him.
With Mosimane out of the picture for the Kaizer Chiefs role, Nasreddine Nabi’s name re-emerged. As weeks passed, it became clearer that the Tunisian was taking over at Naturena.
Last week, members of his technical team arrived in the country to assess players. Nabi is still in Morocco ahead of the Throne Final. He is expected to join the squad on Tuesday or Wednesday after concluding his commitments in Morocco.
The good thing about Nasreddine Nabi joining Kaizer Chiefs is that he arrives at the perfect time. He has more time to assess the players and report back to the management. There are rumours that he might bring in a few players from North Africa. New blood is needed at Chiefs and given a good budget, the Tunisian and his team can recruit some of the best players in Africa.
Chiefs to restructure ahead of the 2024/25 season
Under Nasreddine Nabi, Kaizer Chiefs need to find their identity and style next season. For the past decade, Amakhosi have failed to deliver and find consistency. Players and coaches came and left but nothing changed as the club kept failing to appease supporters.
Kaizer Chiefs will need to sign players that Nabi wants. If the players are deemed too expensive, the club has to make a plan in order to get top players. The DStv Premiership kick-off next month so the new coach and his team need to get the ground running as quickly as possible.