CHIEFS SIGN ITALIAN STRIKER
MORE DEALS COMING
KAIZER Chiefs fans can look forward to watching Italian striker Gustavo Paez turn out for the club in the second half of the season.
Sowetan has learnt that the trialist has done enough to secure a contract with the Phefeni Glamour Boys.
The 26-year-old Venezuela-born player has been on trial since the beginning of this month.
He had been joined by Brazilian defender Pedro DeAmorim, Malawi’s Miracle Gabeya and Olivier Toure from Ivory Coast.
Gabeya and Toure were released after failing to impress.
Chiefs then booked a flight back home for Toure, but the 19-year-old defender was intercepted at the airport before he could board and is now training with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung gave little away when asked about the player movements at Amakhosi.
“We have signed one and we will make other announcements.
[The new signing] is from outside [the country],” Motaung said on the sidelines of the PSL and SuperSport’s 10-year broadcast deal anniversary at the Sandton Convention Centre at the weekend.
Paez’s arrival will apparently allow the club to release strikers Edward Manqele and Siphelele Mthembu, who trained with Bloemfontein Celtic but were not signed on loan as expected.
Sowetan understands that the duo could be let go this week.
Chiefs, meanwhile, are also likely to confirm in the coming days that defender Eric Mathoho has signed a new deal, Sowetan has reliably informed.
The Venda-born central defender, who previously played for Celtic, is in the last six months of his contract, but is staying put.
Mathoho’s contract renewal follows that of fellow defender Lorenzo Gordinho, who has signed a new three-year deal.
Motaung, though, stuck to his guns and refused to let the cat out of the bag.
“We will finalise things on Monday [today],” he said.