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STUART Baxter is back at Kaizer Chiefs, and the club is on the verge of making history.

The 67-year-old head coach, who replaced Gavin Hunt before the close of the 2020/21 domestic season, will hope his charges claim a ticket to their first-ever Caf Champions League final.

The Glamour Boys hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage over Wydad AC following Bruce Bvuma’s goalkeeping heroics and Samir Nurkovic’s away goal victory in Morocco last weekend.

Baxter, who watched the first-leg from the stands as he awaits his working permit, is no stranger to success at the Soweto giants. He is the last coach to win a major trophy with the Naturena outfit in 2015; the Premiership title.

Tomorrow’s second-leg will see Amakhosi fans glued to their screens, cheering on the Glamour Boys and hoping for a positive outcome.
Baxter however, despite the magnitude of the fixture, will be fretting over the contracts of eight-star players at the club that will expire at the end of June.

According to TransferMarkt website, Itumeleng Khune (34), Lebogang Manyama (30), Willard Katsande (35), Bruce Bvuma (26), Bernard Parker (35) and Kgotso Moleko’s (31) current deals will come to an end in seven days.

Meanwhile, star forward Khama Billiat (30) and defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele (31) also have deals that will finish in June, but the club could trigger a contract clause that will extend their stay for another season.

Amakhosi have been fighting the urge not to release any players in the past 24 months following their two-year transfer window ban.

The club can now finally participate in the market, and Baxter will undoubtedly want to bring in fresh faces while letting go of some dead weight in the squad at the same time.

The conundrum is that Amakhosi could well be on their way to making a Champions League final. However, that fixture takes place on Saturday, 17 July, which makes the above-mentioned players ineligible to represent Chiefs.

Amakhosi would want to make all player announcements as-soon-as-possible to miss any deadline dates for squad selections.

Khune, Manyama, Billiat and Parker are the most high-profile players at the club, and the Chiefs hierarchy may question what they should do; sign them up or let them go?

Sport24 reported that Chiefs are expected to make changes in the coming weeks, with player announcements, both arrivals and departures.
Meanwhile, Chiefs clash against Wydad tomorrow. — News24.com.