THE arrival of attacker Gaston Sirino at Kaizer Chiefs could aid in the direction that new coach Nasreddine Nabi wants the team to take.
Sirino, who was unveiled by the club yesterday after putting pen to paper on a two-year contract, completed his medical at Chiefs on Friday after he was spotted at the club’s headquarters, Taung Village.
“Kaizer Chiefs have strengthened their squad in the attacking department with the acquisition of attacker Gaston Sirino,” the club said in a post on their social media platforms.
The Uruguayan footballer arrives at Chiefs with a lofty billing, having had an incredible six-year stint at Mamelodi Sundowns, including winning six Premiership titles.
While many might argue that Sirino is past his peak at the age of 33, Nabi begs to differ, according to reports.
The Tunisian coach apparently believes that Sirino has the right skill set to help the club achieve their targets.
“Yes, Sirino is on our list. He is a very experienced player,” Nabi reportedly said when asked about the club’s interest in Sirino.
“We want to look at him. We want to see if he’s physically ready, and would he be a plus into our philosophy.”
Since his arrival at Chiefs, Nabi has cried foul of the lack of quality players in his squad, saying that’s what led to their 4-0 defeat to Tanzania’s Young Africans in the Toyota Cup in Bloemfontein a week ago as he had to use youngsters.
The former Africans coach believes Chiefs must sign quality players to claw their way back to the top of South African football. Hence it was important to sign a player of Sirino’s calibre.
Chiefs have failed to get the best out of former Sundowns players in the past – notably Keagan Dolly, Khama Billiat and Leonardo Castro – but Sirino could prove to be different.
Nabi is the one who is strongly pushing for Sirino to join the club, not management or the fans, which is something that could be in stark contrast to the signing of Dolly, Billiat and Castro.
And that’s not all. Nabi has coached for long enough on the continent in recent years that he probably knows most, if not all, of Sirino’s strong points and weaknesses.
The fact that Sirino had anger issues on the pitch and that he once pushed for a move away from Sundowns amid interest from Egyptian giants Al Ahly, where he’d have reunited with former coach Pitso Mosimane, must have come to Nabi’s attention.
So, as Chiefs attempt to turn over a new leaf, fans must allow Nabi time and space to lay the foundation how he wants to. After all, he is the man in charge at the moment.
The 58-year-old says he’s already working hard to plug the holes in certain positions before the start of the Betway Premiership, after missing out on the MTN8, but there are difficulties.
“Looking at the market, it is very tight. A lot of clubs don’t want to release their players to us. They don’t want to sell their players to us,” conceded Nabi during an interview with SuperSport.
“But we still need to look, battle and find those players whom we are going to put on the field and give us a plus.”
Should Sirino’s deal be concluded early next week, he’ll become Nabi’s third signing after defender Rushwin Dortley and goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari.
Nabi said he was pleased with the arrival of Dortley and Ntwari, although they are still looking to add more quality to their depth – an explanation that hinted at Sirino's arrival.
“I am very happy that I got two new signings. They are definitely needed in the team,” added Nabi during his interview with the pay-channel.
“I do respect what the office has to do with regards to the recruitments. But the team still needs certain players in certain positions who’ll meet the expectations of the club and the fans.
“The fans also need to know that this will not be a quick transformation of the team to be strong and have quality play.
“We will be signing players whom I shall not mention yet. However, they are in line (to join the club ahead of the new season).”
Chiefs have also unveiled defender Bongani Sam, who joins from arch rivals Orlando Pirates on a three-year contract with a one-year extension option.