Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi faces a big task to convince the club not to underestimate the value of the January transfer window.
There is pressure on Chiefs to make signings in the upcoming window, to back up the project under Nabi, who already has had a privilege of at least six new recruits at the beginning of the season.
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However, Amakhosi have not shown the appetite to strengthen the squad with quality in January windows over the years and looking back in the last five years, there would not be high hopes that the Glamour Boys would pull out all stops to upgrade the squad for the remaining six months of the campaign.
At the start of 2024, Amakhosi did not bring any new signings, even though it was clear the squad needed a boost under interim coach Cavin Johnson, who told the media that he advised the club not to bring new faces.
The decision not to sign new players in January 2024 proved costly, after Chiefs had a disastrous second round of the season, where they finished tenth in the standings, their worst ending in the PSL era.
A year prior, Chiefs made only one signing for former head coach Arthur Zwane, who had also showed promising signs, after bringing on board Christian Saile but the Zambian did not have a significant impact, as Amakhosi finished fifth on the log and parted ways with Zwane (Thatayaone Ditlhokwe was also signed on a pre-contract in January 2023).
In January 2022 former coach Stuart Baxter, in his second spell, also cried out for new signings but the Glamour Boys management did not budge and there was a sense of disappointment after Mamelodi Sundowns captured the signature of Teboho Mokoena in the same transfer window period, who was among the targets for the Naturena-based side. Chiefs eventually parted ways with Baxter in April that year and finished fifth on the log.
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The first month of 2021, Chiefs could not sign players due to a transfer window ban.
Amakhosi entered January 2020 on top of the Premiership table and the squad perhaps needed beefing up to secure the title but they only secured the signing of Anthony Akumu, who did not add value and the Soweto giants ultimately lost the league title to rivals Sundowns on the last matchday.
To complete a five-year January transfer window review, Chiefs signed Reeve Frosler and Daniel Akpeyi, the latter as an emergency recruit after the injury of goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
Frosler was also initially signed on a pre-contract and was expected to join at the end of the season but had a mutual termination of contract with Bidvest Wits, which means Chiefs were not intending to bring in any new signings for Ernst Middendorp, who had joined a month prior.
As a result, Amakhosi finished ninth on the table under the German tactician in the 2018/19 campaign.