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Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs have announced that Benoni-born defender Lorenzo Gordinho and Ghanaian midfielder James Kotei will both be leaving the club.
Gordinho will join Bidvest Wits on a two-and-a-half year contract, while Kotei's contract has been terminated by mutual agreement.
Gordinho joined Chiefs’ youth development academy as a 15-year-old and made his official debut for the first team against Maritzburg United in a 2-2 draw on 11 February 2014. He later became a regular feature in Amakhosi’s starting line-up, although the defender hasn’t featured much in recent times.
Kotei joined the Glamour Boys from Tanzania’s top side Simba before the 2019/2020 season, but the defensive midfielder has been unable to get into Chiefs’ starting XI. The 26-year-old’s lone start came against Bloemfontein Celtic in the Macufe Cup.
Kotei's departure now paves the way for central midfielder Anthony Akumu's arrival at the club as the Amakhosi have now freed up a space for another foreign player. The highly-rated Kenyan is expected to sign a three-and-a-half year contract at Naturena in the coming days.
"We were happy when James joined us," Chiefs' Football Manager, Bobby Motaung says about Kotei’s departure. "Unfortunately, football has its own dynamics. James didn’t play and we felt that we had to split amicably."
"I like to thank the club’s Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, for the warm reception he gave me and also Bobby Motaung for the love and care he showed me," Kotei reflects.
"Even though I wasn’t successful at Kaizer Chiefs, the love and unity were there. I hugely admire the professionalism of the club. I really hope that Kaizer Chiefs will become champions this season."
About Gordinho leaving for Wits, Motaung pointed out: "Lorenzo leaving us is a touchy one, especially as he has been for almost ten years with us, starting at our youth development. His challenge, however, was getting game-time.
"We also didn’t want to block his career, as he got an opportunity to join another top club. We thank Lorenzo for his service to Kaizer Chiefs in all those years."
The 25-year-old defender himself is a bit emotional when looking for the right words: "I want to thank everybody at Kaizer Chiefs… the Chairman, the Motaung family, all the coaches, the staff… Everybody at the club played a role in my growth as a player and as a person.
"I will never forget the friendships I developed with people at the club’s various levels. I will take all what I’ve learnt at Kaizer Chiefs to the next chapter in my playing career."
- TeamTalk Media
