Dean Furman to Kaizer Chiefs: A match made in heaven?
Could the ex-Doncaster Rovers and Bafana Bafana midfielder add his name to the homecoming kings returning to the PSL ahead of the new campaign?
One of the key themes of the off-season in South African soccer has been the ‘homecoming’ of some of the nation’s top talents.
Siyanda Xulu, of course, ended his mixed spell in Russia, with FC Rostov, by returning to the PSL. The 23-year-old signed for Kaizer Chiefs—ostensibly as a replacement for the departing Tefu Mashamaite—in order to help the Soweto giants retain the domestic title.
On a personal level, the centre-back will surely be hoping to restore a flagging career and demonstrate that he can still be the player many of us hoped he would become.
He looks set to be joined by Bongani Khumalo, with Gordon Igesund keen on signing his former Bafana Bafana charge to aid the SuperSport cause.
The 28-year-old has endured a tougher time of things than even Xulu, and—somewhat remarkably—leaves Tottenham Hotspur without having made a single league appearance for the Lilywhites. Khumalo impressed sporadically on loan at the likes of Doncaster Rovers and PAOK Salonica, but in truth, his sojourn in Europe since leaving SSU in 2010 has been miserable.
The stopper looks destined to return to the PSL, where he too will be hoping to revive an international career that has stuttered and wilted.
Khumalo | Keen to make up for lost time...
Could Dean Furman be set to become the third returning hero to set out his stall on home soil once again?
The midfielder—a former teammate of Khumalo’s at Doncaster—left the Vikings this summer, and as yet, has not yet succeeded in finding a new club.
The 27-year-old had looked set to begin a fresh start at Blackburn Rovers, but despite spending a trial with the Lancastrians, was passed over when it came to dishing out the contracts.
I was somewhat surprised to see that Rovers had opted not to sign Furman, a player who has already demonstrated his capabilities in the second tier of English football, and who possesses the battling qualities, the poise and the tenacity to thrive for a side such as Blackburn, with ambitions of finishing in the top six.
Coach Gary Bowyer admitted as such, indicating that it wasn’t Furman’s quality that let him down, rather the existing competition the club already have in the heart of the park.
Igesund was right when he noted that the player would have little difficulty in finding a new club, even if things ‘weren’t to be’ at Ewood Park.
Furman | Passed over at Ewood Park
The ex-national team coach also touched on the possibility of Furman signing for a PSL side, and while it likely isn’t the player’s first-choice option, it’s perhaps one that he should be considering.
There would surely be some interest on the part of the division’s heavyweights, even if—as yet—it hasn’t been acknowledged.
Surely Igesund, despite only using Furman sporadically during his time in charge of the national side, would love to have the midfielder with him at Matsatsantsa.
However, might the player himself prefer a switch to one of the nation’s two Sowetan giants?
For Kaizer Chiefs, he would surely be an exceptionally appealing prospect.
Beyond what he contributes to the play—as considered above—Furman may also fulfil one of the great needs facing Steve Komphela ahead of the new campaign. The incoming coach has had to contend with the loss of two of his key leaders in Mashamaite and Itumeleng Khune, and as such, Amakhosi risk finding themselves short of influential characters.
Furman—who stepped in to take the national team captaincy following the loss of Senzo Meyiwa—is an on-field leader and a tenacious figure who can inspire those around him by his own example and his combative play. He will keep Chiefs ticking over when in possession, and will transform into relentless heat-seeker should they lose the ball.
The midfielder would add aggression, passion and presence to the Chiefs midfield
Coming from England, and having established himself in the Bafana Bafana set-up, Furman would also command respect and would surely be a positive influence on the squad’s younger players.
I have little doubt that he would adapt to the PSL—after all, here’s a guy who has cut his teeth in the taxing environment of the Football League—and Chiefs would be acquiring a player with some of his prime years ahead of him.
He could be a superb long-term replacement for 33-year-old Reneilwe Letsholonyane, for example, as Amakhosi’s midfield general.
Despite Kaizer Motaung’s insistences that he’s not considering Furman, one suspects that Chiefs wouldn’t pass up the chance to get their hands on such a marquee addition.
There is a precedent for this; a South African who moved to the PSL midway through his career having never previously featured in the land of his birth.
Furman may yet take inspiration from Matty Pattison, who moved to Mamelodi Sundowns in 2009 having only featured in England to that point.
Pattison, who now turns out for Gateshead, played for Bidvest Wits and Santos, and managed to launch his own international career after returning to South Africa.
Could Pattison's stint in the PSL have shown Furman the way?
The 28-year-old enjoyed some of the best years of his career to date in the PSL, although Furman obviously is of a different stature to the former Newcastle United man.
Ultimately, it’s likely that Furman will find a new home in England, rather than return to the Rainbow Nation.
First of all, the player may not have the same ‘PSL pull’ as Xulu and Khumalo.
While the two centre-backs first became stars, or at least made their names, in the South African top fight, Furman has never featured in the division, having left Cape Town for England as a youngster.
He may not, therefore, have the same attachment to the PSL, and may not have the kind of guarantees—culturally and sportingly—that Xulu and Khumalo can expect.
Similarly, while the two defenders are in need of a return to solid ground—figuratively speaking—in order to relaunch their ailing careers, Furman does not have a point to prove to the same extent.
If a Championship club comes a-calling, then the international star will surely opt for a stay in England. If not—and the season is drawing close—then the option of a switch to the PSL may become an ever-pressing possibility.
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