Kaizer Chiefs may not need to make new signings in the off-season, if Nasreddine Nabi is so good, judging from comments by the club's former coach Ernst Middendorp.
Nabi appears to be enjoying a 'free hit' at Chiefs for 2024/25, learning the league, the culture and SA players in general, before demands can start to be made on his progress.
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He has been one of the fortunate or backed coaches at the club, as his arrival was sweetened by seven new signings - Rushwin Dortley, Gaston Sirino, Fiacre Ntwari, Bradley Cross, Bongani Sam, Inacio Miguel, and Njabulo Blom.
A lot was expected from the former AS FAR Rabat coach, but with 20 league games played and the team lying eighth, a coach at such an ambitious club would ordinarily be fighting to save his job, if not already relieved of his duties.
Chiefs may not necessarily need more additions ahead of next season if Nabi stays, after also signing Thabo Cele, Makabi Lilepo, and Tashreeq Morris in January.
Middendorp has explained that the most important thing is the 'concept' a coach puts to become successful, after he took the side from a ninth-place finish in 2018/19 to second the following campaign with only two new signings.
"The team was position nine in the season before (Middendorp was appointed half way through) and it was not that something totally different happened. Basically, only two players were brought in - Samir Nurkovic and the South African from Australia (Kearyn Baccus) - that was all," he said in reflecting on his heartbreaking runners-up finish in an interview on SoccerBeat YouTube Channel.
"It was not like we took a new team. We were able to put something together, respect the individual quality, the individual potential we had and to put a certain way of playing.
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"It was mentioned as a helicopter concept, but on the other side is a very interesting product because at least there was a very clear concept involved, in terms of set-plays, scoring. We scored the highest number of goals in the entire league. Being second was definitely something I thought [was] one of the biggest success [stories] in my entire career," he added.
With two-thirds of the season played, there are concerns there is no clear structure or concept at the Glamour Boys under Nabi, who could demand more new players ahead of next season.