Blom Secures Shock New Move
Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Njabulo Blom has completed a shock move to the Vietnamese V.League, signing for the champions Nam Dinh FC. The Amakhosi DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] graduate was announced on Friday.
The unexpected move comes on the back of a season-long loan to the Soweto giants from Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit St. Louis City in the 2024/25 season, to get more playing time and revive his career.
However, a return to Naturena didn’t go according to plan as Blom failed to command a regular place in the starting XI under Tunisian mentor Nasreddine Nabi, with competition for places rife in the Amakhosi midfield.
In his second stint at Chiefs, the 25-year-old dynamic midfielder made 19 appearances across all competitions. Moreover, Blom lifted the Nedbank Cup with the Glamour Boys last season as the club ended a decade-long trophy drought at the expense of fierce rivals Orlando Pirates.
With the team set to compete in the CAF Confederation Cup next season, the Chiefs hierarchy opted against retaining the player permanently as he returned to his mother club in the USA at the end of the Betway Premiership campaign.
Now, the South African international will be determined to get his career back on track with the three-time Vietnamese champions in Asia. Nam Dinh finished as runners-up on two occasions and won the Vietnamese Cup in 2007.
Having qualified for the Asian Champions League by winning the league title with an eight-point gap over second-placed Hanoi last season, the club will be banking on the experience of Blom in their continental aspirations.
Nam Dinh, who won the 2016/17 second-tier championship in Vietnam, will be competing in Asia’s elite club competition for the third time in its history. It remains to be seen how Blom will fare as he embarks on his new journey.
