Asante Kotoko are close to announcing the appointment of the club’s former striker Raphaël Patron Akakpo as assistant coach, Footy-Ghana.com can reveal.
Akakpo, who is most identified with academy side WAFA SC’s successful story as coach, has been lured to return to the side he played for over two decades ago.
Reports have been rife about his possible reunion with Kotoko to assist head coach Steven Polack in recent weeks. But per Footy-Ghana checks, the coach was required to give his employers WAFA a one-month notice of resignation before he could be free to move on.
Having satisfied the requirements, Akakpo Patron, we can confirm, has arrived in Kumasi to put pen to paper and begin his second stint with Kotoko.
Akakpo was signed from Prampram Mighty Royals during the 1991/92 season and helped the Porcupine Warriors to win the Ghanaian league back-to-back. He however left after three seasons for the now defunct Tema Ghapoha in 1995.
He went on to enjoy stints in Brunei, India and Vietnam before hanging up his boots.
After retirement, Akakpo, who clocked age 44 at the start of December, chose to go into coaching and has until recently been under the tutelage of the late coach Sam Ardey at the West African Football Academy (WAFA). He served as assistant to a number of foreign trainers and was promoted to the role of a head coach at the club in June 2016.
