Brandon Petersen ‘sad’ over Chiefs departures of Aden McCarthy and Given Msimango

Kaizer Chiefs captain Brandon Petersen says it is “sad” to see defenders Aden McCarthy and Given Msimango leave the club, but believes the team can maintain its defensive standards if their replacements settle into the existing structure.

Petersen was speaking at the official launch of the MTN8 in Randburg on Wednesday, where he addressed the departures of the two centre-backs and the impact they could have on the Amakhosi ahead of the new season.

McCarthy was sold to Azerbaijan-based Sabah FK on 9 June after contract negotiations with Kaizer Chiefs broke down. Msimango, meanwhile, left the Glamour Boys as part of the player-swap deal that brought Langelihle Phili to Naturena from Stellenbosch FC.

“It’s obviously sad to see the players go,” Petersen told journalists.

“But this is football; this is the nature of football.

“As players, I think you get to a stage of your career when you get used to that.

“If there is a structure in place, players come, and they go out. If the new players that come in fit into that structure, then we continue where we left off.

“Last season, we had a good defensive record, and for us what is important is to just build on that. The guys we have at the back are not new guys. They have been part of the system; maybe it’s only Thabo [Moloisane] that came in at the back.

“So for us, it’s to build on what we started last season.”

McCarthy and Msimango formed a regular partnership in central defence last season, playing 24 matches together across all competitions. Their performances helped provide stability at the back as Kaizer Chiefs recorded 11 clean sheets.

Their departures leave the Soweto club with a significantly smaller group of senior centre-backs. The remaining established options are Zitha Kwinika, Inacio Miguel and Rushwin Dortley, while Thabo Moloisane has also joined the squad to provide additional cover.

Despite the changes, Petersen stressed that the defenders still at the club are familiar with the team’s methods and can continue the work begun last season.

The goalkeeper’s comments came as Kaizer Chiefs prepare for the new campaign and assess the composition of their squad following the recent changes in defence. The club’s backline will now have to adapt to the loss of a partnership that played a central role in last season’s defensive record.

For Petersen, the priority is not to focus solely on the players who have left, but to ensure that those remaining maintain the standards that helped the club keep 11 clean sheets. If the incoming and existing players can fit into the team’s structure, he believes Chiefs can build on their previous progress.