Chiefs coach Komphela assessing Cameroon international striker

One of Kaizer Chiefs’ two on-trial Cameroonian strikers has been passed over‚ while the other is still being assessed‚ Amakhosi coach Steve Komphela has said.

Julien Ebah‚ the 27-year-old international who last played for Kapaz in Azerbaijan‚ has been told he will not be signed by Chiefs.

Christ Mbondi‚ the 25-year-old former Cameroon Under-20 international striker who last played for Deportivo Capiata in Paraguay’s Primera Division‚ is still being examined.

“We are still checking. We had two. One from Cameroon‚ Ebah‚ has left already‚ ” Komphela said on Thursday.

“There is one left. We are at the final days of assessment. We need to be satisfied.

“And if not you cannot then take a hasty decision because of pressure.

"Because the minute that you take such a decision and commit an error‚ you have gone back.

“The amount of time you give a player in a contract is the amount of time that you are wasting or gaining.

"So we cannot afford to be wasting time by signing people who we feel we are under pressure to add‚ who are not going to help us or fit.

“So we’re still in that process (with Mbondi).”

Komphela had said before the 2017-18 preseason transfer window closed that Chiefs had a striker lined up who they were trying to land.

If Amakhosi did not manage to sign that forward inside the window‚ they had out-of-contract options to look at.

Asked how good a player can be if they are out of contract well into a season‚ Komphela drew on the example of Diego Costa.

The Spain international was Chelsea’s top scorer in 2014-15 and 2015-16 but released at the end of last season because he did not fit into manager Antonio Conte’s plans‚ and is on the verge of a return to Atletico Madrid.

The coach also revealed that Chiefs are targeting a player who caught the club’s eye at the Wafu (West African Football Union) Cup‚ where hosts Ghana beat Nigeria 4-1 in the final on Sunday.

 - TimesLIVE