Kaizer Chiefs decide to keep out-of-favour star?
Kaizer Chiefs are hedging their bets for at least one more season regarding Edson Castillo’s future.
Kaizer Chiefs to retain Castillo?
According to SoccerLaduma, Chiefs are determined to keep holding midfielder Edson Castillo for at least one more campaign.
“Toward the end of last season it’s true he was not happy and had actually requested to leave as he was not playing the way he would have loved to or the way he had started his life at Chiefs,” said their source.
“And with interest from Zamalek, he was willing to leave but since the arrival of coach Nabi, things have changed for the better for him and he wants to stay. The team has looked into it and have decided that they will keep him until the end of his contract in June 2025. And depending on the end of the season report from the coach and his technical team, they will take the final decision then. But for now, they will keep him until the end of his contract,” the source added.
The Kaizer Chiefs Naturena Village in all its glory. Image: Ernest Makhaya
The story so far
30-year-old midfield dynamo Edson Castillo made his debut for La Vinotinto in June 2021. That’s almost three years and three months ago. In that time, he’s only collected nine caps. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that Edson Castillo isn’t a key part of the Venezuela setup. He wasn’t in their Copa América squad and isn’t part of the latest squad to face Bolivia and Uruguay. His last competitive action was in November 2023 when he played only 11 minutes across TWO World Cup qualifiers. Before that, the last sniff of game time he got was in October 2021 when he got 25 minutes against Brazil in a World Cup qualifier. Is this a blessing in disguise for Chiefs though? Castillo has battled to reproduce the form he showed at the start of his tenure at Naturena. With international distractions and travel issues off the table., perhaps he can flourish again.
Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Edson Castillo celebrates a goal in the MTN8. Image: @safootclassics/X.
Does Castillo still have a big role to play with Chiefs?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or emailing info@thesouthafrican.com. You can also send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for your social fix.
Kaizer Chiefs finished the 2023-2024 league campaign in tenth position, their worst placing in the history of the DStv Premiership. Their last league title came back in 2015, their most recent piece of major silverware.