Andre Arendse, Assistant coach of Sekhukhune United, look set to take over the coaching reigns from the sacked Eric Tinkler.
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Having Sekhukhune United reportedly sacked coach Eric Tinkler after failing to meet their targets this season – missing out on all the trophies and falling behind in the Top 3 race – there’s expected to be a coaching shake up at the club soon.
The trio of Marc van Herdeen, Andre Arendse and Paulos Masehe is set to hold the reins at least until the end of the season, but we look at five potential candidates that can replace Tinkler come the start of the new season.
Andre Arendse
When Arendse was appointed as one of Tinkler’s assistants late last year, expectations were rife that he’d soon replace his former Bafana Bafana teammate in the hot seat. Given all the circumstances at the moment, it seems highly likely that will now happen.
Arendse is not stranger to the hot seat, he numerously saved the defunct SuperSport United from the cusp of relegation following the sacking of head coaches.
Arendse transition to coaching form a goalkeeping coach saw him learn from some of the best coaches in the land, including the experienced and multiple championship winning coach Gavin Hunt. That’s why his time to be his own man may come soon.
John Maduka
Maduka was a disciplinarian during his heydays. But it’s so pleasing to see that he continued with those qualities into his coaching, which is why he has earned a reputation of being a calm and direct figure on the touchline.
His last gig at Magesi didn’t end well as he was sacked after failing to get the team out of the relegation quagmire, but that doesn’t make him a bad coach – he still gets the results, especially during a tense situation.
Maduka might face a unique situation at Sekhukhune given the ambitions of the club, but should he be equipped with the right staff and personnel, he could deliver on the mandate as well.
Ernst Middendorp
Middendorp has been in and out of the technical director job at Durban City this season, but after finally severing ties with the club, he’s been a free-agent and eventually spotted at games, including where Chiefs are involved.
His presence at Chiefs matches has done little to convince the masses that he’ll succeed Nasreddine Nabi. But what remains prominent about Middendorp is that he’s ambitious, and would certainly match the energy of his Sekhukhune bosses.
Chiefs might be hitting the right notes in recent weeks, but they are still vulnerable. And if ever Middendorp has ambitions of returning to the club, he may just have to expose their weaknesses by making Sekhukhune dominant, and back into the Top 3 next season.
Stuart Baxter
Likely bonding with his family in Sweden, Baxter is still in touch with South African football. Recently, he was in the news, speaking on what he thinks has gone wrong at Chiefs since his illustrious spell between 2012 to 2015.
Given all that, he seems still interested in returning to the PSL. Should he get the Babina Noko job, he may fancy holding onto Arendse as his assistant, having the duo work together at SuperSport.
The World Cup will also bring a spotlight to the PSL top-flight if Bafana impresses at the event in June; and that’s why being part of the set-up could help Baxter’s growing ambitions in football.
Pitso Mosimane
While a Mosimane move to Sekhukhune might seem unlikely, given his ambitions and demands, nothing is impossible in football. Hence, the union cannot be ruled out completely.
Mosimane, moreover, has long said that when he feels that a project is right, and suits his vision he won’t hesitate to look into it and give it a shot – should he decide.
What could also entice the move to Sekhukhune is the fact that he’ll be working alongside technical director Walter Steenbok, who knows the game very well through studying and years of experience.