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Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala admits that the loss of coach Stuart Baxter, Itumeleng Khune, Tefu Mashamaite and Mandla Masango was a big blow for the team.
Read: Baxter to lure Masango to Turkey?
The quartet recently left the club after a successful season where Amakhosi clinched the league and MTN8 cup double.
The departures came after failing to agree new terms following the expiration of their contracts, while Baxter’s deal was terminated despite having one more year left to run.
Tshabalala, who joined Chiefs in 2007, had been long-time team-mates with youth products Khune and Masango, and admits it is tough to believe that such influential players as well as the highly-rated Baxter were allowed to leave all at once.
"We became a family and we are going to miss them, but, just as I said about the coach, such things happen in football," Tshabalala told Soccer Laduma.
"Obviously it’s very sad to lose a coach like Stuart Baxter. He joined the team three seasons ago and we have won four trophies. But, you know, in football things happen and we have to be ready to face life without him.
"Yes, we would have loved to have been together for as long as we could, but that’s not the case. We have to move on and be strong."
