Welcome to this week’s issue of Hindsight.

We learned quite a bit from the Ghana Premier League, didn’t we?

Kotoko’s new look attack gave us their style gist, Karela’s free fall continued, Legon Cities showed signs of life, and Hearts of Oak’s blunt attack continued to be blunt.

This week, we will interrogate what Kotoko’s recruits mean for the title race and just how bad are Hearts in front of goal.

Kotoko is finally ready for the title race

Kotoko emerge from the tunnel for Sunday's routine win over Karela

Asante Kotoko are on a roll. They can do no wrong at the moment.

Karela United became the latest to be slain by the Porcupine Warriors in a 1-0 defeat.

That result means coach Prosper Ogum’s men are unbeaten in seven league games and eight in all competitions; six wins and a draw in the league, and one more win in the FA Cup.

In a run stretching back to November 24, 2024, Prosper Ogum’s side has scored thirteen goals and has let in just three.

They are just a goal shy of averaging two goals per game in their last seven league matches.

Sunday’s, however, had shades of the past.

In the second half of the match, Kotoko flexed their muscles when they brought on Samson Eduku for Saaka Dauda.

The substitution was made just three minutes after Justice Blay scored from the penalty spot.

Eduku became the focal point of Kotoko’s attacks from then on. His brief spell on Sunday – and his career at Samartex, Elmina Sharks, RTU, Tamale City, and Karela United, proved that he combines well with teammates, can hold the ball up, and draw teammates into play.

As his 14 league goals for Karela showed in 2023, Eduku can also be a ruthless finisher even when feeding on crumbs.

Samson Eduku in action during his Kotoko debut against Vision F.C.

In many respects, Eduku is the perfect foil, but at the same time, the right partner for Kwame Opoku’s fox-in-the-box style à la Seidu Bancey and Ahmed Toure or Benjamin Acheampong and Kofi Nti Boakye.

Shortly after coming on, Eduku attempted a neat give-and-go with Peter Amidu. His delicate flick would have resulted in a goal but for a timely clearance.

For a brief moment, this was not 2025. We were not here.

We were watching a Kotoko team in different years, under a different manager with different sets of players.

It was a throwback to one of many combinations that Acheampong and Boakye produced to deliver successive league titles for Mas-Ud Didi Dramani.

Just like then, there is more to Kotoko than just two strikers with unique profiles. Before the transfer window ended, Kotoko added former Aduana Stars striker Isaac Mintah to their rooster.

Mintah is just as impressive, having scored 17 league goals in 40 appearances for Aduana Stars in his previous stint at Aduana Stars.

Between Mintah, (17 league goals in 40 appearances for Aduana) Eduku (14 league goals in the 2022/23 season), and Kwame Poku’s 10 goals across two stints, Kotoko have more fire power than their man title rivals.

Take Hearts of Oak for example. Mawuli Wayo and Hamza Issah are the club’s top scorers. Between them, they have scored eight goals; four each.

Over the last two seasons, Issah has scored 16 league goals in total. Wayo? Not much beyond his tally this term.

The club’s other strikers, Kwabena Boateng (two goals in thirteen appearances) and Asamoah Boateng Afriyie (none in eleven matches) have scored a combined TWO goals.

Yes, two. See the difference?

By the way, did you notice the conspicuous omission of Kotoko’s top-scorer in the current season, Albert Amoah (seven goals)?

Kotoko’s expenditure extended to other positions too.

After shuttling through three right-back options including asking Justice Blay to deputise there, Kotoko opened the chequebook to sign 24-year-old Daniel Adrian Adjetey on a one-and-a-half-year contract.

At left back, twenty-nine year-old Kwasi Asante joined as a free agent.

A club statement said “The experienced full-back brings guile and versatility to the Porcupine Warriors, having played for Hafia Club of Guinea, Simba FC in Tanzania, and Mbabane Swallows in Eswatini. Known for his adaptability, he can operate not only as a left-back but also as a center-back or even as a left winger, offering valuable options to the technical team.”

Since Patrick Asiedu's injury in October 2024, Kotoko has had no cover for the left back position. That should change with Asante's arrival.

Last week, Frederick Asare, the club’s captain and second-choice goalkeeper also resumed first-team training.

Asare's return means Kotoko is now at full strength.

It is up to Prosper Ogum to strike the right cords to get a tune out of this group.

Hearts love to fire blanks

Hearts failed to score for the second game running as they drew with Holy Stars

Asamoah Boateng - 0 goals in the

Kwabena Boateng - 2 goals

Mawuli Wayo - 4 goals

Hamza Issah - 4 goals

The four strikers have just 10 goals combined in the league.

Disappointing? What if I told you that Hearts of Oak have scored a total of 16 league goals in 18 matches?

That is the report card of the Phobian attack thus far.

When the transfer window opened, Hearts signed Seth Osei, a midfielder, and Abdul Aziz Adam from lower-tier side Tamale City.

If his numbers are anything to go by, Hearts may have found a reliable goal scorer.

In eleven matches, Aziz has scored nine goals for Tamale City in Zone One A.

Then there is the small matter of creating chances.

Hearts coach ABoubakar Ouattara is yet to build a cohesive unit despite being in charge for nearly a year. The Phobians have made a habit of picking off teams and relying on long balls.

What has kept them going, is the miserly defense marshaled by Benjamin Asare who has kept ten clean sheets in eighteen matches this season.

The defense has proven quite reliable.

The attack? Not so much.  

It is therefore not surprising that the Phobians have drawn as many as a third of their league matches and have won just eight.

If Ouattara can fix this, Seth Osei may be seminal in that regard.

Osei is press-resistant, but even more necessary for sustaining possession is his pass selection and the ability to take the steam out of a game with it.

The same pass selection is just as potent in converting otherwise harmless possession into goal-scoring chances.

In that sense, Osei may be a direct goal threat.

So that is what Hearts of Oak’s title credentials depend on; if’s, but’s and maybe’s.

But stranger things have happened before. Ouattara may produce a cohesive unit within weeks after failing to do that in ten previous months.

Until then, do not invest in their stocks.