Kaizer Chiefs could open their cheque book in January – Baxter

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has admitted the injury crisis that has rocked his team could force him to sign a new player in January.

The Soweto-based giants suffered another blow on Thursday when Baxter confirmed forward Lebogang Manyama is back in rehabilitation after suffering an injury during training.

Apart from Manyama, Chiefs, who have struggled in the new campaign as they are placed 12th on the 16-team table, are also without Leonardo Castro and Samir Nurkovic owing to injuries.

Ahead of their PSL fixture against Chippa United at FNB Stadium on Saturday, Baxter has revealed a signing will be very possible in January.

‘I think a signing is very possible’

“Yeah, I think we as a football club, we’ve got to be careful to not solve problems with the chequebook,” Baxter told reporters as quoted by Idiskitimes.

“I think a signing is very possible, very possible in January, but it must be a part of a strategy. It can’t be just because maybe the supporters expect us to make a signing, maybe we think we can plug a hole by making a signing.

“We have to have a strategy and the signing needs to be a part of that strategy. And the reason that you gave is because of the injuries we’ve incurred, yeah, we’ve got Samir and Leo, both of them foreign players, both expected to be a source of goals for us, and yet neither are anywhere near the field.”

‘But we’ve got to be very careful’

Baxter continued: “So you would think maybe if we can make a signing to strengthen the striking department, it would be useful, you’d be right in that assumption. 

“But I think we’d want to think, we do our work on the training field count, how much can we compensate there, we raise the level of the place that we have and then we make that marquee signing, to enhance everything.

“But we’ve got to be very careful to not believe that we can just buy our way out of trouble.”