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The Smiling Assassin is on a one-season loan from German side TSG Hoffenheim but all indications point to a lengthy marriage between Chiefs and their man, should things work out well this coming season, with chances of a return to Germany certainly limited by his failure to make an impact there.
When Musona left for the Bundesliga two years ago, on a five-year deal, Super Diski was so sure that it had just waved goodbye to one of its best foreign imports and, if he was to come back, it would be only for sentimental reasons as he wound up his career as many have done before.
But the Zimbabwean returns to Chiefs not as a player in the twilight of his career but just a month after turning 23, when he is supposed to be at the peak of his athletic powers, and the challenges he faced in the past two seasons, and his failure to handle them, have split opinion here about how to handle his return.
Is he still the same high-flying forward who destroyed the Super Diski defences recently, playing with extreme confidence that bordered on arrogance, as he built a profile that made him the hottest talent in the South African Premiership?
Or he has been weighed down by the trials and tribulations of the challenges that he faced, and failed to overcome, in two nightmarish seasons in Germany that he no longer has that touch of class, which came naturally when he was here, given that doubts could have crept into his mind about what he can, and cannot, do in this game?
The Amakhosi camp is delirious that the Zimbabwe hitman will add value to a strong squad that won the League and Cup double last season and probably needed a big signing to provide a cutting edge in defence of both titles.
Musona is hungry, not only for success given that he is still yet to win a league title in his career, but desperate to make up for the two years that he was frozen on the sidelines as he struggled to adjust to the demands of German Bundesliga football.
Chiefs’ coach, Stuart Baxter, says Musona’s attitude and commitments are some of the reasons he believes the Zimbabwean will add value to his team and help the Amakhosi return their league title.
Musona and his Chiefs teammates have been holed up in Mpumalanga for their pre-season training where Baxter has been having an up-close and personal look at his latest signing.
The Englishman told The New Age newspaper on Sunday, in comments published yesterday, that he had seen something special in Musona that has given him reason to believe that Chiefs will conquer the domestic front once again next season.
“I am not only happy about his attitude but what he is trying to achieve with us and I must say that I am happy about him at the moment,” said Baxter.
“All the players are pulling through and even though it is physically challenging for them, we are on the right track and I believe when the season gets underway, we will be raring and ready to battle.”
The New Age newspaper even put a glossy spin to their story with a headline to match – “Baxter has Knowledge to turn Chiefs to Kings”.
But not everyone is convinced that the Smiling Assassin, who to his credit has continued to shine on international duty for Zimbabwe, is still the same high-flying forward who roamed these fields two years ago.
The latest issue of Soccer-Laduma poses a big question – “Are Chiefs getting the same Musona?”
Clint Roper, the Soccer-Laduma Editor, uses his column to pose some big questions about Musona’s return and, at the same time, casting pessimism that he is still the golden boy who left this country two years ago.
“Last week it was announced that one of Kaizer Chiefs’ favourite sons, Knowledge Musona, had agreed to return to Naturena on a year-long loan,” Roper wrote.
“The question is . . . can he pick up where he left off? Will he be the same deadly ‘Smiling Assassin’ he was before he left South African shores?
“To my mind, you never lose that natural ability to score goals, regardless of how long you spend on the sidelines.
“It’s a gift knowing where the back of the net is and making sure you find it, and one would think that Musona will always have the ability to score goals.
“Also, he has often been played out of position in Europe, with his clubs using him as a winger rather than an out-and-out striker, something that was no doubt detrimental to his game and his goal scoring.
“However, seen from another angle, there is no doubt that Musona is out of practice. He’s struggled at two different clubs in Germany and only managed to play about 1 500 minutes of football altogether, scoring just two goals, both of them in Cup competition.
“Yes, he has been scoring for Zimbabwe, proving that he still knows where the back of the net is, but his club football form has taken a serious nosedive. By all accounts, he is coming to the PSL to find his scoring touch again.”
Roper claims that the Musona who is returning is low on confidence and has a number of psychological demons to take care of before he can be trusted to become the hot property that he was when he left.
“He is coming back to try and cultivate some confidence. He has lost his mojo and is on a mission to try and rediscover it, and if you are a Kaizer Chiefs’ fan, you just hope it’s not at the expense of the team.
“Don’t get me wrong, from Chiefs’ point of view, it’s a massive signing. Without him even kicking a ball, the acquisition of Musona has issued a message of intent from the Amakhosi.
“The Smiling Assasin got his goals for Chiefs under the strict rule of Vladimir Vermezovic and, with Stuart Baxter as his mentor, he may be able to do even better. If anyone can get Musona scoring again, it’s Baxter.
“But alas, only time will tell. We don’t know whether the return of one of Chiefs’ favourite sons will be a success or not but what we do know is that next season in the PSL is going to be a very, very interesting one and Knowledge Musona will no doubt be a massive part of it.”
Online Reporter