Kaizer Chiefs have contacted Alexandre Santos with the view to bringing the Portuguese mentor as their new coach, the Sunday Times has learnt.
An Angolan source close to Santos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “Santos has confirmed contact with Chiefs”, who have been without a permanent head coach for eight months since parting ways with Molefi Ntseki last October.
They seem to have set sights on the 47-year-old, who will leave Petro de Luanda at the conclusion of the Angolan Cup where they are in the last-16. “He confirmed last night that there has been contact from South Africa, from Chiefs, but nothing concrete up to now.”
When the Sunday Times contacted Santos, his phone rang unanswered, and he didn’t respond to messages.
Another Chiefs target, Manqoba Mngqithi, will sign a new contract to stay at Mamelodi Sundowns. His agent Mike Makaab said coach and club will conclude the finer details after the Nedbank Cup final played in Mbombela on Saturday. “We’re still in talks with Sundowns but we are making good progress,” he said.
And close confidante of Mngqithi told the Sunday Times that Mngqithi’s new deal was almost done and dusted, saying: “He is yet to sign, it’s almost a done deal there with no issues.”
Wydad Casablanca are also interested in signing Santos. Petro played the final match of the season against Bravos do Maquis in Moxico province yesterday. “They finally communicated on Friday that they have broken up with Alex. After the announcement, Alexandre felt he had no part to play but was convinced by the club president to finish the Angolan Cup run.”
Chiefs’ poor form has tormented the supporters and tainted its success-laden legacy. They last tasted silverware success in 2015, and finished 10th in the 2023-24 campaign, their worst finish in PSL history.
Several high-profile coaches, including Pitso Mosimane and Nasreddine Nabi, have been linked with the club whose fortunes have plummeted to alarming proportions.
Nabi, the former Young African coach, now coaches AS Rabat who are looking to beat Raja Casablanca to Morocco’s Botola Pro 1 league title.
A source close to Nabi said: “In my last conversation with Nabi a fortnight ago, I asked him whether he had spoken to Chiefs again and he said there was no longer interest for him to go to South Africa, and he was no longer pursuing that route."
Mosimane, who won a truckload of trophies with SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly, is a free agent after his four-month bid to save Abha Club from Saudi Pro League relegation was unsuccessful.
Santos has established himself as a serial winner in a successful three-year spell with Petro. This week he won his third successive Girabola, the top division of Angolan football.
“He arrived in Angola with one assistant and one physical trainer. The club decided to bolster his technical team with four more members made up of two Brazilian goalkeeper coaches, an additional Portuguese physical trainer and added an Angolan assistant coach,” the source said.
Santos is methodical, and “very good with organisation of defence”. In 29 games, Petro conceded only 13 goals in the domestic league. They topped their Champions League group without conceding in six matches. That group included Tunisian outfits Etoile du Sahel and Esperance and Sudan’s Al Hilal. Petro only conceded against TP Mazembe in the quarterfinals.
His preferred formation is 4-2-3-1. “While he didn’t concede any goals in the group stage, Petro only scored five goals [three wins and three draws]. He likes playing with one striker. He is the kind of guy that will give you four to five guys in midfield and one striker. He’s a forward thinking, progressive man with an attacking football philosophy. His English is enough to communicate, to get the message across.”
Santos is the only one who is leaving. Petro wants to keep the rest of the technical team so that the new coach will work with them.
Chiefs have several players such as Sfiso Hlanti, Keagan Dolly, Itumeleng Khune, Happy Mashiane, Njabulo Ngcobo, Siyethemba Sithebe and on loan Jasond Gonzalez whose contracts are running out.
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