With the coming of new coach Marriano Barreto,Asante Kotoko seem to be heading on a new path as the Portuguese arrived in Ghana with two assistants.
Miguel Bruno is the new assistant coach and will also serve as a video analyst for Kotoko while Pedro Manuel is also a new assistant coach and injury prevention coach.
Their arrival seems to have relegated the previous heads Abdulai Gazelle and Johnson Smith to the sideways as they will have just fee duties to perform with the takeover of their main duties.
Together with Issah Najawu, Smith and Gazelle are now all assistant coaches, with Issah having an additional job as a goalkeeper’s trainer.
Smith and Gazelle are however now assigned additional responsibilities as Kotoko Youth coaches, raising questions on the fate of Akakpo Patron, George Asare, and Richard Manu.
Akakpo has been an assistant at Kotoko after being poached from WAFA by the then Kwame Kyei led management board. He played minor roles after Maxwell Konadu arrived but was later seen on the Kotoko bench again.
George Asare and Richard Manu, both former Kotoko defenders were signed for 5 years each as Kotoko Youth Coaches but ghanasportspage.com investigations indicate Management is not enthused about the 5-year contract given to them by the then George Amoako led management, since there is a virtually non-existent youth team now.
They failed to build a team as instructed and most of the players available now rather belong to other clubs while others are over-aged and can not be relied on as future Kotoko materials.
It remains to be known whether these coaches will be sacked or retained, as a source indicated they may be given a renegotiated contracts to become scouts for Kotoko ,refusal easing to their sack.
The Nana Yaw Amponsah led management has reportedly regained the confidence of the Club’s Board after few disagreements and have been given an all-clear signal to push the club all the way in winning laurels as well as putting structures and building better infrastructure for Kotoko.
