South African trainer Eric Tinkler says he embraces the challenge of leading Asante Kotoko ahead of the start of the 2026/27 season.

The Porcupine Warriors brought in Tinkler at the end of last season as they tasked him to rebuild the club following a difficult campaign last season.

During his 14 years of coaching, Tinkler has enjoyed success domestically and in continental competitions, guiding Orlando Pirates to the CAF Champions League final and SuperSport United to the CAF Confederation Cup final.

Tinkler, in a media interaction on Tuesday, revealed he has always been motivated by challenging roles.

"I like challenges. As a coach, I’ve been involved with clubs that have been in relegation battles, and I’ve managed to keep them up. I’ve been at clubs where we started with five players; it was a brand-new club, and I had to build a team," he said.

"We ended up finishing third in the league that season and qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup. Those challenges are challenges that I enjoy. I started an academy when I was at Wits University, a football academy, and I built that academy."

While Kotoko will be hoping to improve their eighth-place finish in the league last season, Tinkler's first test will be against Hearts of Oak in the Democracy Cup of August 28.