Kaizer Chiefs weren’t successful in their pursuit of Polokwane and Bafana star Oswin Appollis. Why was that the case?
Polokwane back themselves in the market
According to SoccerLaduma, Polokwane City dug their heels in over star winger Oswin Appollis with club chairman Johnny Mogaladi preferring to sell the 23-year-old Bafana man to overseas suitors if at all. Injuries to key duo Tlou Nkwe and Thabang Matuludi strengthened his resolve to keep the player. Polokwane is currently third in the Betway premiership and chasing an unlikely continental finishing place, viewing themselves as legitimate contenders to finish above Kaizer Chiefs. Why sell to a direct rival?
Phuti Mohafe speaks of a ‘focused’ player
“When I look at Appollis, I see a focused player who is not distracted by all the rumours. With the possibility of him moving, I don’t have power or a say over it, as the technical team, we are not even thinking about his replacement,” Mohafe added regarding the player’s future.
“Even for the long-term, I think Polokwane City is the team for Oswin Appollis and we don’t want to lose a player of his calibre. We are building a brand at Polokwane City, and we need him in it,” he said.
Is Titus an option for Chiefs?
Stellenbosch’s 24-year-old winger could potentially be a like-for-like replacement for Saleng as he enjoys hugging the right touchline. He’s not an inverted winger like Saleng, but since right-footer Relebohile Mofokeng already dazzles down the left, this isn’t much of an issue. Titus has impressed this campaign for Stellies, bagging six goals and four assists in 21 league appearances. Those are seriously good numbers.
Crunch clash in the MTN8 race
Meanwhile, Chiefs fell to a dreadful 2-0 defeat at Richards Bay last time out. It was a result that left them in eighth place in the Betway Premiership with 29 points after 22 games. Ninth-placed Chippa can usurp Chiefs for that position if they win their two games in hand. Meanwhile, Golden Arrows in tenth have three games in hand on Amakhosi and only trail them by five points. It’s not unthinkable to suggest that Arrows could leapfrog their more illustrious rivals by the end of 2024-2025. Knox Mutizwa was the only goal-scorer as Arrows claimed a slender 1-0 win away to Polokwane but they followed that with a 1-0 loss at Magesi. Intriguingly, Abafana Bes’thende hosts Chiefs on March 30th at 15:30. That looks like a pivotal clash in the race for a top-eight finish.
Will Appollis make a big move at the end of the season?
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