The Porcupine Warriors signed a Brazilian striker to replace their top marksman mid season but the Portuguese gaffer suggests he was substandard
Asante Kotoko head coach Mariano Barreto has revealed he was shocked when the club’s chief executive officer Nana Yaw Amponsah told him that he was on the verge of sealing a deal for a top Brazilian striker.
Barreto joined Kotoko at a point when the club’s leading striker Kwame Opoku was also close to sealing a deal with Moroccan side USM Algiers.
Although, Barreto admitted he was worried about the fact that Kotoko would struggle for goals in Opoku’s absence, he has revealed that a promise about a top and quality striker from Brazil was made to him which was a little surprising.
Eventually, Kotoko signed free agent Michael Vinicius and the lanky striker went on to bang in two goals in 79 minutes.
However, his contract was mutually terminated after only two months with reports suggesting that he was found living an indecent life although the club said the contract was terminated on personal grounds.
“When Asante Kotoko management told me that a top Brazilian striker was coming to replace Kwame Opoku, I was surprised,” Barreto told Nhyira FM.
“This was because why would a top striker in Brazil come to play in Ghana?”
Barreto failed to win the league with the remaining players available to him and even got eliminated from the FA Cup in quarterfinals by Berekum Chelsea.