Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune during a press conference in Johannesburg. Image: X,
Kaizer Chiefs news: Itu Khune could’ve moved to Turkey BUT…
Khune was on the rise before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and many European teams showed interest in him but…
Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune during a press conference in Johannesburg. Image: X,
Kaizer Chiefs veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune could have easily played in Turkey after receiving a concrete offer but that never happened.
This is according to Muhsin Ertugral, who was setting the record on claims that Khune never got opportunities to play in Europe.
In an interview with iDiski Times, Ertugral said the reason Khune was unable to attract interest from Europe’s big leagues was his height.
Ertugral feels Khune would have played either in England or Germany if he was a head taller. The goalkeeper stands at 1.88m tall.
In 2010, Ertugral was doing analysis for the Turkish national team, and he reveals how impressed his colleagues around the world were with Khune.
HOW HEIGHT FAILED KAIZER CHIEFS ‘KEEPER KHUNE
“I remember at the World Cup, when he played in the World Cup when I was analysing for the Turkish team. And everybody, even from Germany, from Italy, in France were talking, ‘wow, I have never seen a goalkeeper do that,’ and it was at that time like revolutionary, 2010,” Ertugral said.
“[They had] never seen goalkeepers that precise in his build-up process. I think it’s been too much minimised about Itu’s possibility, that it was world-class. Itu was a bit unlucky on the height. So, this is genetics. If he had been one head taller, he would have played in England or Germany.”
WHAT ABOUT THE TURKISH OFFER MUHSIN?
Furthermore, Ertugral revealed that Sivasspor submitted a bid to Chiefs for the services of both Khune and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
And it was a good offer for the club, according to Ertugral, but the two players wer undecided as the 2010 FIFA World Cup was close.
Both Khune and Tshabalala did not want to risk missing out on the Bafana Bafana squad for the World Cup on home soil.
Had it not been for the World Cup, Khune and Shabba would have left Chiefs for Sivasspor.
Well, Shabba eventually got the taste of European football when he signed for BB Erzurumspor in 2018.
“I mean, I was in Turkey with Sivasspor at that time. Remember, before the World Cup, and we made an offer to Kaizer Chiefs, we wanted Itu and [Siphiwe] Tshabalala at that time to Sivasspor. And it was good money that they offered Kaizer Chiefs. Both were sitting between the lines because the World Cup was coming up,” revealed Ertugal.
“And so people were saying that Shabba and Itu didn’t have opportunities – no they had opportunities to go, they would have played in the Turkish Premier League. Unfortunately, at the time the World Cup came between,” he concluded.
