It has been an up and down preseason for current Ghana Premier League champions Asante Kotoko who have had their share of setbacks to go along with positives. A major positive development for the Porcupines is the securing of starting goalkeeper Danlad Ibrahim for a two-year contract extension this week. The 19-year-old broke through to become the number one shot stopper for Kotoko, replacing outgoing keeper Razak Abalora last season after starring for the Ghana under-20 national team at the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations which the Black Satellites won.
On the negative news front the club announced that they have postponed their pre-season trip to Turkey due to visa issues and delays. Kotoko have had a turbulent buildup to the 2022-23 season due to the selling of a couple of key members of their 2021-22 squad including attacking left back Imoro Ibrahim and what appears to be the imminent sale of star forward Franck Mbella Etouga.
In addition, the club is currently without a head coach with the resignation of Prosper Narteh Ogum and the failure to secure Burkinabé manager Kamou Malo. Kotoko extended an offer to their first choice in Malo but the veteran tactician elected to stay in Burkina Faso and cited family commitments as the reason for declining the offer according to a source familiar with the discussions.