Chiefs recall star defender
Celtic cash woes add to urgency
A combination of evident defensive frailties and trouble in the Bloemfontein Celtic camp has seen Kaizer Chiefs recall Lorenzo Gordinho from his loan at the Free State club.
Chiefs have let in five goals in their three Absa Premiership matches – the most by any team thus far.
Knowing they have a promising defender in 24year-old Gordinho, Amakhosi decided on Thursday to go public with their request for him to return.
Amakhosi’s team manager Bobby Motaung confirmed to Sowetan that a letter had been dispatched to Celtic last week, alerting them that Chiefs coach Giovanni Solinas wanted the defender back at Naturena with immediate effect.
“We want him back now because the coach sees potential in him, he can do with his services,” Motaung said of the player who was loaned out to the Free State side for a year in January.
Solinas started the season with a central defensive partnership of Erick Mathoho and Daniel Cardoso, but the former was dropped following a 3-1 drubbing at the hands of Bidvest Wits last week.
Cardoso has not really covered himself in glory either, scoring an own goal in a disjointed performance on Tuesday at Baroka, but Chiefs’ reasons for recalling Gordinho extend beyond the playing field. Cash-flow problems at Celtic also forced Chiefs’ hand, according to Motaung, with Gordinho also apparently unhappy that his salary can’t be guaranteed.
“The player is also unhappy and he’s told us that. There’s instability there [at Celtic]. He’s supposed to get a salary from Celtic, as per the loan agreement, but when it doesn’t happen, it reflects badly on us because he has a contract with us,” Motaung said.
He added that while they want Gordinho back at Naturena immediately, they will give Celtic until the end of the transfer window deadline, of August 31, to release the centre back.
It was unclear if Phunya Sele Sele would accede to Chiefs’ request.