Nkosingiphile Cele Left Behind as Chiefs Tour Spain

Nkosingiphile Cele’s pre-season took a dramatic turn before a ball was even kicked in Spain.

The midfielder, who had been involved throughout Kaizer Chiefs’ preparations for the 2026/27 campaign, was a surprise omission from the Amakhosi squad that boarded the plane under new coach Fernando Da Cruz. His name was expected on the list. It wasn’t.

Information reaching the public broadcaster indicates the 28-year-old only discovered he had been cut shortly before the team’s departure. For a player who had trained, travelled and tuned up with the group, the timing landed like a late tackle.

Cele’s return to the Premier Soccer League in January last year carried weight. After spending much of his professional career abroad, his arrival at Naturena was framed as a statement move. Chiefs had tracked him across several transfer windows, waited, negotiated, and finally got their man. A marquee signing, the kind you build a midfield around.

Now his place at the club is under scrutiny.

Behind the scenes, discussions are understood to be ongoing over a possible settlement that would allow both parties to part ways before the end of his current deal. Cele still has two years left on his contract, and the talks are described as sensitive, with no agreement yet in sight.

If those negotiations stall, the player is thought to be prepared to dig in and see out his contract at Naturena rather than accept terms he feels are unfavourable this month. He is not pushing himself towards the exit at any cost.

Chiefs, for their part, are weighing up their options. A loan move is on the table. So is a permanent transfer. Any solution, though, must tick boxes for all involved – the club, the player, and any potential suitor – before pen can touch paper.

For now, uncertainty lingers.

As the transfer window rolls on and Da Cruz shapes his squad from a training base in Spain, Cele remains in limbo, still contracted to Chiefs, still assessing what comes next. Unless a deal emerges that suits every side, he will stay on the books at Naturena, watching the new season approach and waiting to see where – and whether – he fits into the club’s next chapter.