Football analyst Junior Khanye is of the view that Njabulo Blom’s departure to the US has opened the door for Samkelo Zwane, one of South Africa’s brightest prospects.
The 21-year-old Kaizer Chiefs midfielder dished out an impressive performance when he started in Amakhosi’s 2-0 win over Golden Arrows at the weekend.
Blom, a youth product of Chiefs, recently left Naturena after the two parties could not agree on new contractual terms.
At the time of his departure, Blom was enjoying his best football as a defensive midfielder for Amakhosi, winning several man-of-the-match awards and grabbing the attention of other suitors.
This resulted in a spat between his larger-than-life agent Rob Moore and Chiefs bosses. Moore has previously managed the football affairs of former Bafana Bafana stars including Benni McCarthy, Steven Pienaar, Lance Davids and Aaron Mokoena, among others.
In December, Chiefs announced that Blom had signed a new contract with MLS club St Louis City.
“Zwane is one of the most improving and upcoming players in the league. Against Arrows last week, it was the first time he started a match and he showed quality,” said Khanye.
“With Blom moving to the US, this has really boosted Zwane’s chances. He must grab the opportunity with both hands.”
Khanye is a former Chiefs midfield maestro and he knows what it takes to don the black-and-gold colours of Amakhosi. Like Zwane, Khanye graduated from the development ranks.
“With Zwane coming from the development structures, the boy is linking up well with other players. He is composed and his play has vision, he also covered a lot of distance. The challenge for him is to show us that he can maintain the standard and to go on and become a star player,” Khanye said.
“Arrows may have not offered much on the day, but you take nothing away from the young Zwane, he has shown that he is one for the future, he showed glimpses of greatness and has easily taken [over] Blom’s position.
“We just have to see consistency, especially when there is pressure on him, but we are happy [that] he has finally started and that there is potential in the player.”
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