Free State Stars will seek to renew the contract of coach Giovanni Solinas at the end of the season, but have yet to engage the Italian about extending his stay.

Solinas joined Stars in January on a six-month deal, with an option to renew for a further year.

Ea Lla Koto general manager Rantsi Mokoena told Sowetan he would sit down with Solinas and plot a way forward.

"We haven't gone into it with him yet, but if you look at the job he has done, he's done really well, so it is only natural that we would like him to stay next season," Mokoena said.

Solinas created a turnaround in fortunes for the Bethlehem side, which was languishing near the foot of the Premier Soccer League table when he joined them.

But six victories since then have seen the side climb into the top eight in the league and into the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, where they will face National First Division side Santos in Cape Town on Saturday.

Asked what Solinas had brought to the squad, Mokoena said: "Confidence."

Solinas was appointed following the surprise exit of Ernst Middendorp in December, when he returned to Maritzburg United for a third spell.

Solinas hails from Sassari in Italy, and despite not having a professional playing career has earned himself several high-level coaching badges, including a Uefa Pro licence.

He worked at four Algerian clubs. His previous job was at Al Faislay in Saudi Arabia but he is not known in his own country. He is the first Italian to work in the PSL.

"He is the calibre of coach we were looking for - young and ambitious," Mokoena said at the time of the 47-year-old's appointment.