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Kaizer Chiefs' latest signings: Who are the new arrivals?

Serbian striker Samir Nurković has joined Kaizer Chiefs, the Soweto giants have confirmed.
Serbian striker Samir Nurković has joined Kaizer Chiefs, the Soweto giants have confirmed.
Image: Kaizer Chiefs/Twitter

Kaizer Chiefs have announced the capture of two more players as the desperately-needed rebuilding job starts at Naturena in a bid to bolster the team ahead of the new season‚ but just who are these new recruits?

Striker Samir Nurković has arrived to add firepower‚ while South African-born midfielder Kearyn Baccus is expected at the club this week in a capture from the Australian A-League.

Baccus was born in Durban but is an Australian junior international after his parents emigrated to Sydney when he and brother Keanu were young.

Baccus‚ 27‚ has most recently been playing for Melbourne City‚ while younger brother Keanu‚ 21‚ still turns out for Western Sydney Wanderers.

Kearyn had set his sights on a move to Europe early on in his career and joined the youth set-up of French side Le Mans in 2010.

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He made 25 appearances for the club’s reserve side over two seasons‚ but never made the first team and was released at the end of the 2011/12 campaign.

He moved back to Australia and joined Perth Glory on a short-term deal amid interest from Italian side Siena‚ but when the move failed to materialise‚ he was left in limbo.

That proved a major set-back and it would only be in the 2016/17 season when he got his career back on track at Western Sydney Wanderers.

He had signed for the club previously‚ but was only eligible in the Asian Champions League and not the domestic A-League competition.

His time at Wanderers was categorised by some run-ins with the club – he was furious at seeing a move to South Korean side Seongnam denied by club coach Markus Babbel.

He was then substituted in a pre-season fixture and showed his displeasure for all to see‚ further souring his relationship with the coach and in the end he signed for Melbourne City in the 2018/19 season‚ which ironically turned out to be the best campaign of his career.

Baccus has good technical ability‚ but don’t expect goals from him – he has never scored in 109 appearances in Australian football.

That is certainly not true of Nurković‚ who scored for fun in the Slovakian second-tier in the 2018/19 season‚ but still has the mark of a journeyman footballer who bounced from club to club.

The Serb‚ also 27‚ has now been at an astonishing 11 clubs since making his professional debut eight years ago‚ but has only really shone in the last 18 months at KFK Komárno.

There he has been a revelation‚ netting 35 goals in 41 I-Liga games since arriving at the club in January 2018.

Although the Slovakian second-tier may not be the best judge‚ he certainly has an eye for goal and a poacher’s touch.

He started his career with Slovak side MFK Košice‚ but played at Zlaté Moravce‚ Dunajská Streda and Duslo Šaľa on loan‚ before making a permanent move to Vráble and then Pohronie.

He bounced between Zlaté Moravce and Pohronie in the next few seasons‚ before finding his feet at KFC Komárno.

Nurković has scored 64 goals in 126 club appearances in his career‚ though only three of those goals came in the Slovak top-flight.

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