The Abafana Bes’thende assistant manager explains why they will not buy players but follow Amakhosi’s example
Golden Arrows assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi says they will not be delving into the transfer market to replace players such as Danny Venter and Musa Bilankulu.
The experienced manager says they will rather opt to follow the example of Kaizer Chiefs, who are busy promoting their youngsters from the development ranks, and singled out players such as Siyabonga Ngezana and Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya.
Abafana Besthende recently parted ways with veteran defender Bilankulu as well as former Free State Stars midfielder Venter.
“We will replace them with the youth. In our squad of 35 players, 17 are youngsters. If a coach joins Arrows, they have to follow protocol,” Ncikazi told DailySun.
“Like Kaizer Chiefs who promoted the likes of [Siyabonga] Ngezana and [Siphosakhe] Ntiya-Ntiya from their youth set-up, we also give youngsters a chance to showcase their talent.
“If you don’t then how are they going to get the much-needed experience?”
The former Maritzburg United boss also credited Premier League giants Chelsea for having faith in promoting the youth.
“I was watching the FA Cup semi-final and Chelsea was amazing. The European teams like Manchester City don’t mind using their youth, but our clubs are not comfortable using a 19 and 20-year-old in their starting line-up,” he added.
“We need to follow the same trend if we are to be successful at the international level.”
Looking at the former Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic versatile player’s contribution, Bilankulu has played over 200 games during two stints with the Durban-based outfit.
However, he has been struggling to make his mark under the former Amakhosi manager Steve Komphela this term and he is now a free agent.
On the other hand, the 33-year-old left-footed Venter has made 14 appearances for the former MTN8 champions in the current campaign as the management opted against renewing his contract.
As things stand, Komphela’s men occupy the seventh spot with 32 points from 23 matches as they look to reach the top eight once the season resumes, after it was halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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