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Will Gaston Sirino buck the trend of players moving from Mamelodi Sundowns to Kaizer Chiefs – and become flops?
Former Sundowns and Chiefs striker Katlego “Killer” Mphela – who is one of several players who struggled at Amakhosi after joining from the Brazilians – hopes Sirino will succeed at Naturena.
“I hope Sirino will do well at Chiefs because he’s a very good player. He’s one of those foreigners that came into the country and contributed to SA football,” he told Sowetan.
“I just hope he’ll bring the experience he’s gained at Sundowns to Chiefs. He takes care of his body and he understands football. I give him 70% chance he’ll succeed at Chiefs.”
Sirino penned a two-year deal with Amakhosi last Saturday, having been a free-agent after leaving Sundowns at the end of last season. The 33-year-old Uruguayan netted an impressive 41 goals and racked 44 assists from 202 appearances in Sundowns jersey.
The playmaker’s switch has seen many predict that history will repeat itself, as in recent years players like Mphela, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Khama Billiat, Keagan Dolly and Leonardo Castro struggled to replicate the hot form they had displayed at Chloorkop when they arrived in Naturena.
Pleading his case that Sirino will do well at Chiefs, Mphela reasoned that players are different, and highlighted there were some players who knuckled down when they joined Amakhosi from Sundowns.
“There are some players who left Sundowns and did fairly well at Chiefs, winning trophies. It’s 50/50 because guys like [Jose] Torrealba and Josta [Dladla] went to Chiefs and performed [well] and won silverware because that’s what people want,” he said.
Mphela said the frequent chopping and changing of coaches at Chiefs in recent seasons contributed to these players failing to live up to expectations.
“The issue of coaching always plays a role in players struggling at Chiefs when they come from Sundowns because Sundowns have a style of play that’s well-established, and Chiefs have been changing coaches now and again and their identity isn't clear.
“Sundowns is a well-oiled machine but Chiefs are always building, so that makes things difficult for players to shine at Chiefs when they join from Sundowns, and even from other clubs.”
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