Bafana Bafana midfielder Njabulo Blom has explained the circumstances that led to his departure from Kaizer Chiefs to the MLS club.
In December, Njabulo Blom left Kaizer Chiefs to join Major League Soccer club St Louis SC, where he quickly became a regular player under South African coach Bradley Carnell.
Blom has made 27 appearances across all competitions, starting in 20 of them and coming off the bench five times. He has also been an unused substitute twice.
According to the 23-year-old, the interest from St Louis SC came at the right time when he was exploring his next career move. He mentioned that negotiations for a new contract with Kaizer Chiefs didn’t reach a mutual agreement.
“It was in November and I was trying to figure out my next move because there are things with Chiefs that weren’t good,” he told the media.
“We were not getting [finding each other] in terms of my new contract. So, yeah, my agent told me that there’s a new team in the US and they’re kind of interested in me.
“And it might be a good move for me especially to use it as a stepping stone to Europe. And then obviously, I sat down with my mom and dad, my family.
“We spoke about it and we saw it as a good move for me, especially to grow as a human being, and move out of my comfort zone. Find myself as a young adult. So, it came about…we finalised everything in December for a move to the US.”
Blom says he’s using the MLS as a “stepping stone” to Europe and believes it’s a decent league for one to grow.
“For me, that was my goal to use it as a stepping stone to greater leagues in Europe and also to grow as a person and an individual,” he said.
“I think it really is a stepping stone especially if you’re from Africa. It’s a good league and good environment.”