Lorch too ‘old’ for Chiefs to consider?

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Lorch too ‘old’ for Chiefs to consider?

Aug 18, 2026 – 07:42 pm
By Thato Bosoga

With Kaizer Chiefs rumoured to be interested in Al-Ittihad forward Thembinkosi Lorch, KickOff looked at star players who joined Amakhosi later in their careers.

Lorch, at the age of 33, being linked with a move to Chiefs, alongside clubs such as Wydad Casablanca and MAS Fes, shows that he still has the quality but would he be worth the risk from The Glamour Boys’ perspective?

The Naturena-based side have not made the habit of signing players well over their 30s, as it is generally difficult to negotiate even a contract extension at the big clubs in South Africa, once you are over 30.

Amakhosi took a risk with Gaston Sirino, who was 33, when he was signed as a free agent after his contract expired with Mamelodi Sundowns, ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Sirino, who was handed the celebrated jersey number 10, had a positive start but started to fade midway into his first season, with injuries playing a major part.

At least in the last 20 years, the Uruguayan was the oldest player to have been signed by Chiefs. The oldest player to have been signed previously by Amakhosi was Cole Alexander at the age of 32, ahead of the 2021/22 season, where he reunited with his former coach from SuperSport United, Stuart Baxter during his second spell at the Soweto giants.

The Glamour Boys had taken a risk with former midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi, who was re-signed at the age of 30 arriving from Golden Arrows in July 2012 after he had initially left for German club Arminia Bielefeld in 2007.

Other stars Chiefs risked on while they were getting old, included Katlego Mphela, who 29 when he joined from Sundowns January 2014, Morgan Gould was also 29 when he was signed from SuperSport in 2013 while Josta Dladla was also one year short of 30 when he arrived from The Brazilians in 2009.

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