Njabulo Blom switches Kaizer Chiefs for St Louis City in USA

Blom had been widely known to have hit an impasse with Chiefs over a new contract, after his initial deal was set to run up at the end of the current 2022/23 season.

However, the 23-year-old had quietly concluded a deal with St Louis City, where former Amakhosi defender Bradley Carnell has been in charge as head coach since January 2022.

"We are excited to bring a young South African national team player like Blom to our squad and St. Louis," said club sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel.

"His ball-winning, super-aggressive, warrior qualities as a central defensive midfielder match what we are looking for in our philosophy. Blom’s addition to our team is exactly the missing puzzle piece we needed."

Blom has penned a two-year deal until 2025, with options for a further two years in 2026 and 2027, with club that will be contesting their maiden campaign in the MLS, which is due to kick off in February next year.

“It’s a bittersweet departure because I think it’s no secret to the Amakhosi faithful how highly we value Njabulo Blom. He is the epitome of what our Academy has been able to produce over the last couple of years,” commented Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr via a statement.

“This is part of the plan for us to unearth talent of international standard. More so, we want to ensure that we produce talent that can go out to explore opportunities abroad. From a personal point of view, it’s great to see a young man who grew up in the system now being afforded the opportunity to expand his horizons."

Motaung Jnr. further revealed that the transfer had been a work in progress behind the scenes over the past few months, during which plenty was said of Blom's situation at the club.

"This one was a while in the making. I feel it’s a great time for Njabulo to go and exercise the next phase of his life. The opportunity came about, and it has been months in the working now, sorting out the nitty-gritty of the deal," he added.