Erstwhile Bafana Bafana of South Africa winger Junior Khanye has said Nigeria international Stanley Nwabali lacks the basics as a goalkeeper and has urged his former club Kaizer Chiefs not to sign the Chippa United first choice.
Nwabali has been linked with Chiefs since 2023 as a possible replacement for Itumeleng Khune.
The move, however, did not materialise as Chiefs opted to sign former TS Galaxy goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari before the start of the current campaign.
Speaking on iDiski TV. Khanye, 39, said Nwabali is not the right fit for Kaizer Chiefs.
“I think the fact that he is a Nigerian international as first-choice goalkeeper can be blinding because Nigeria have a superior team that covers him sometimes,” Khanye, who had only one-cap for Bafana Bafana, said.
“But this guy, when I watch and observe him, he gives away a lot of goals, especially high balls. I mean, sometimes he’ll get a ball and then spill it; he does high school mistakes.
“They need to go and look for a proper keeper. I am not sure if the PSL has a top keeper available…I love (Ricardo) Gross, maybe he can go to Chiefs.
“I have been watching Nwabali and I don’t think he is a good fit for Chiefs. I think someone is selling this guy, he can’t handle the ball, instead, he fits the ball away. He lacks the basics.”
Nwabali has made 23 appearances in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) this season.
He was in goal for Chippa United in their 3-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the PSL on Wednesday.
It was Chippa’s third straight defeat and have now gone five consecutive matches without a win.
They are currently in eight place on 30 points in the 16-team league table.
By James Agberebi
6 Comments
“I think the fact that he is a Nigerian international as first-choice goalkeeper can be blinding because Nigeria have a superior team that covers him sometimes.”
Not holding fort for Dr. Drey, but it’s like he’s the one speaking here. This SA international 100% echoes his assertions that Nwabali’s frailties have long been covered by the quality of the defence.
His penalty heroics at the SF in the last Afcon further blinded our eyes to his flaws, which came back to haunt us in the WCQs later.
As it is, in the SE, our goalkeeper is not the last line of defence. The defenders are. Dribble them out of the way as an opponenet and you’ll score.
As a result, SE cannot afford to play a 3-man backline, we have to dedicated 5, leaving us with fewer men to do the damages upfront or a tired out wingers executing constantly dual roles.
“But this guy, when I watch and observe him, he gives away a lot of goals, especially high balls. I mean, sometimes he’ll get a ball and then spill it; he does high school mistakes.”
Paseiro and Finidi did a lot of damage to our WC hopes, but Nwabali also conceded some very cheap, stupid goals against Lesotho and Benin that could have earned us extra 4 points at least.
The SE currently does not have a quality goalkeeper.
Some people are wicked why will he be saying such things the goalkeepers in south Africa are not better than nwabali all because nwabali is a Nigerian not a south African citizen may God deliver us from people that want to spoil us from people that wants to help us.
This is arrant nonsense from an unknown player who only played once for Banana Banana. Ronwen Williams is the only keeper better than Nwabali at the PSL. Kaizer Chiefs is a traditional South African club which detest Nigerians. I can remember a Nigerian ever playing for Kaizer Cheifs or theives. Nigerians have played for Super Sport, Orlando Pirates, Sundowns, Chippa e.t.c but I’ve never seen a Nigerian play for Kaizer Thieves!
Hahahahaha……….CSN, are you sure it was Junior Khanye that said all these or Dr.Drey….? Or could it be that the Dr.Drey on CSN is actually a South African in real life named Junior Khanye……or maybe Junior Khanye has been reading all Dr.Drey’s comments about this low-budget Austin Ajide………LMAOOoo
I have said enough about Nwabali already, so much that I have been tagged his hater……LMAOooo…Junior Khanye has re-echoed them all without even leaving out the crumbs….so I wouldn’t reharsh them, but what I will never stop saying is that any serious professional GK coach who knows his job and knows his onions will NEVER install Nwabali as SE first first-choice GK. There is a reason why sporting directors, even in the South African league, are not keen about this guy, talk more of big clubs in Africa. Europe is completely out of it as far as this dude is concerned.
At least we have met Rwanda 3 times recently, and on all 3 occasions, we all saw why Kazier Chiefs rather chose to sign Rwanda’s GK instead.
Akpeyi, Etafia, Willy Okpara….these are all Nigerian GKs who became legends in the PSL, played for the biggest clubs (Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates, respectively) and are still revered there today. So there is nothing like hate on nwabali in this case
In the words of Mr Junior Khanye, “…..I think someone is selling (or trying to sell) this guy…….”.
I have noticed this a long time ago. Noticed how CSN keeps recycling news of the same clubs showing interest in him. Noticed how they keep repeating interviews of Nwabali saying Kaizer Chiefs is his dream club. Noticed how they leave any sweet news concerning him long on their home page. Noticed the deafening silence by the press about his now regular bloopers in national colours. Noticed how some sections of the press made a huge meal about Okoye’s alleged match fixing in Italy. Noticed how the NFF quickly released a press statement shortly afterwards, excluding him from the national team indefinitely, when even his club hadn’t spoken on the issue yet. Noticed how some published false news that he had been de-registered by Udinese for the 2nd half of the season and wouldn’t feature again till the end of the season………LMAOOoo…only for the boy to suddenly appear back on our screens, reclaiming his 1st choice position after an injury layoff as if Udinese has no other GK in their squad.
Anyone who has an idea of how PR and multimedia marketing work will understand what all of that was meant to serve.
Thank God the world is watching from 10,000 miles away……LMAOooo
Nwabali came into the SE on the backdrop of the fact that his predecessors were accused of not showing confidence…….he lapped up on that and has been giving fans what they want to see…..confidence…..to the point of making a show off it. But raw figures confirm he is no better than those they crucified for him……LMAOooo
First 17 matches:
Okoye – 13 goals conceded, 8 cleansheets
Uzoho – 15 goals conceded, 5 clean sheets
Nwabali – 17 goals conceded, 7 cleansheets (4 at AFCON with a 7-man defensive wall…..LMAOOo…. otherwise we would be looking at more goals conceded and fewer clean sheets)
Overall:
Okoye (17 games) – goals conceded to game ratio – 0.77, cleansheets to game ratio – 0.47
Uzoho (35 games)- goals conceded to game ratio – 1.0, clean sheets to game ratio – 0.37
Nwabali (19 fames) – goals conceded to game ratio – 0.95, cleansheets to game ratio – 0.42
Nigerians can continue to drink the confidence Nwabali is serving in goal.
Let me come and be going before they catch me here……..LMAOoooo
What nonsense is this ex SA player saying. Just saying you making an accuse for local bred player to man the post of Kaizer chiefs. Leave Nwabali alone. So at Kel were you blind to see some saves made by Nwabali when your so called over-hyped defenders cost us games.
This “ex” is only an ex because he was wack at playing. Now having heard him speak, it’s clear that his thinking is even more wack than his rubbish football – he is Woke and walking/talking blind, he need to Woke up from his trance and comes back to life among the living.
Which South African goalkeeper is as good as Nwabali? Pleeaase!
I mean his statement is so ridiculous.
It stinks so much of jealousy that it does not deserve a response. What a bad belle xenophobic South African man, which if we think about it is not surprising at all, after all they’re almost all like that.
As for kel and that dr grey and other useless “Nigerians” who like to shoot down 9ja’s finest for a bluefoot like Okoye because of slave mentality- forget those guys, they are Woke like the Geriatric called Jones and needs to Woke up out of their stupor- we Nigerians are not fittin’ to slow down for you slow coaches to catch up, instead we move ahead and leave y’all behind.
It’s like Forest Gump said – “Stupid is as Stupid do” lol
Please inform Amala along with his bro Eba that we have spoken.