Wildly successful throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s, the most decorated club in South African football are without a trophy in eight years, since claiming the South African top flight in 2014/15, under former boss Stuart Baxter.

They were notably runners-up in 2019/20 under Ernst Middendorp - but ultimately lost the title on the final day of the season to Mamelodi Sundowns.

Since 2015, an impressive procession of coaches have made their way through the revolving doors at Naturena, including Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas, Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Baxter (for the second time), Arthur Zwane, and most recently Molefi Ntseki.

While Komphela was never the fans' first choice, he did manage to last three seasons, before eventually being hounded out following the 2-0 loss to Free State Stars in the 2018 Nedbank Cup semi-final.

Hunt, who many had pinned to be the catalyst for a revival at Amakhosi, was always going to struggle, with the club under a FIFA transfer embargo and unable to strengthen an ageing and underperforming squad.

It was a positive but bold move handing Arthur Zwane the post last season. The perennial assistant was very much learning on the job and was never going to be given the time to fully implement his ideas.

Ntseki's brief appointment followed a similar vein, in that he had been at Kaizer Chiefs before being handed the top post.

Now with the hot-seat vacant once again, club supremos are no doubt eager to make sure the next appointment is the 'right' one.

And as luck would have it they have a rare opportunity to sign a world-class coach and employ someone with a proven track record, who all-but guarantees a trophy.

Proven track record

Chiefs expect a leader who embraces the South African culture and actively promotes young players, and need look no further than former Mamelodi Sundowns powerhouse Pitso Mosimane.

The unemployed mentor is looking for a team that matches his ambitions after leaving UAE team Al Wahda just five months into his stint, claiming interference in his selections.

He won everything on offer in South Africa and made the empowering move to Egypt to coach giants Al Ahly, where he claimed two CAF Champions League titles and two CAF Super Cups before steering Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli to promotion.

Reports, though, suggest Chiefs have been put off not just by Mosimane's potential wage demands but also by the fact he brings in an entire technical team with him when he takes over a new job, and instead are leaning towards the appointment of Brazilian Alexandre Gallo.

The 56-year-old Gallo has played with and coached some of the world's biggest stars.

He has an impressive win rate with the Brazil Under-23 national team - back in 2013/14 - but no notable trophies to talk about, while significantly he has had 'roughly' 25 coaching posts since 2005, meaning he's hardly a long-term appointment.

The most suitable candidate

Brian Baloyi wants his former team to "break the bank" and secure Pitso, saying in the Sowetan: "He’s at the top of my list. In fact he's my number one, two, three and four for the Chiefs position. I don't see anyone else who is more suitable.

"If you want to make a statement and show that you're serious about rebuilding the team, then go and get Pitso. Break the bank for him."

Mosimane himself told Power FM in June when asked about the possibility of moving to Amakhosi: "...anything is possible, I like projects so if someone gives me a project and has a vision. I also have my say on how things can go from step one, two and three."

It appears to be a no-brainer, and investing in a coach of Mosimane's calibre would be a statement in itself to fans.

In order to be successful, they will ultimately need to end the dominance of six-time successive league winners Sundowns - and what better way to do that than hiring the man credited for so much of their recent success.

Also linked to the Chiefs post are Spaniard Raul Caneda and Tunisia's Nasreddine Nabi.

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Opinion: Pitso Mosimane fits the bill for Kaizer Chiefs role