Stuart Baxter is still hoping to add a forward to the Kaizer Chiefs roster, but for the time being, he will have to wait.
According to source the Glamour Boys currently have their foreign quota filled to capacity despite a last-minute attempt to offload Lazarous Kambole, who was initially transfer listed in July.
Had the club been able to sell Kambole before the window slammed shut on August 31, that would have opened up a spot for a non-South African to be signed and it’s understood a forward would have been the priority.
He is crucial to the club’s search for a striker as one of the two players that qualify to be registered as locals to open up more foreign spots for Chiefs – the other is Nigerian goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi!
now has it on good authority that due to the backlog at the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa, the Amakhosi management were unable to beat the deadline to change the status of the two players.
Castro and Akpeyi qualify for a permanent residency permit (PRP), having been in the Premier Soccer League for an uninterrupted period of five years or more and are eligible to be registered as locals.
Had Amakhosi been able to squeeze in a late application before the registration window closed on August 31, then Baxter would have a stood a chance in Chiefs being able to sign a foreign striker who is a free agent.
As things stand, however, the Englishman has to wait until January at the earliest to improve a department that is clearly short of options.
The other alternative, which is less likely, is to sign a South African forward currently out of contract – and that’s mission impossible.
