Jessica Motaung addresses Kaizer Chiefs' transfer strategy amid marquee signing pressure

Kaizer Chiefs director of marketing and commercial affairs Jessica Motaung has moved to address growing concerns around the club’s inability to attract top-tier talent in recent seasons, saying efforts are ongoing despite a highly competitive market.

Speaking at Thursday’s launch of the Toyota Cup — which will see Amakhosi face Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko at Moses Mabhida Stadium on July 26 — Motaung was confronted with more pressing matters. 

While the exhibition match is a marketing success, the bigger issue for supporters remains the lack of elite signings to lift the footballing side.

Chiefs are coming off a bittersweet campaign — they lifted the Nedbank Cup, ending a decade-long trophy drought, but still slumped to ninth place in the league, underlining the inconsistency that has plagued the club for years.

Current coach Nasreddine Nabi has already alluded to the need for more quality in the squad, and his comments have revived old debates about Chiefs’ ambition in the transfer market.

Motaung, however, insists the club remains active in the chase for “big players” and has not shifted from that stance.

“The market is competitive, and we have to be honest and say that the market is competitive,” she said.

“We have always been able to get players of stature and that is something we are doing all the time. I know that the guys are working very hard behind the scenes to make that happen.”

Criticism has often been directed at the club’s inability to attract names of the calibre that defined the Chiefs of the 2000s and early 2010s. 

But Motaung believes that recent signings — while not headline-grabbing — have delivered results, pointing to the Nedbank Cup triumph as proof.

“We need to be careful in saying we didn’t have good players when those players won us the Nedbank Cup,” she added.

She also stressed the need for nuance when evaluating failed transfers or underwhelming performances from recent arrivals.

“Sometimes it is coaching style and sometimes there isn’t a fit with players or it’s a cultural issue, so we have to be fair when things don’t work out.

“But certainly, on our side, we are making sure that we are looking at players that we think will fit, players that can play a certain style, and blend into what the Chiefs culture is about.”

While the club continues to explore its options in the market, Motaung highlighted the importance of long-term planning — notably through their youth development structures.

“One thing we can be proud of is our academy,” she concluded.

With the pre-season officially underway and new signings expected to follow, Chiefs face yet another moment of truth: show ambition in the market or risk stagnating after their long-awaited cup win.

The Naturena based outfit will play five friendly matches against Dutch top-tier sides from both the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie as part of their tour of the Netherlands.