Asante Kotoko coach Abdul Karim Zito has said that the team’s summer splash on fourteen players will take a while before they can achieve cohesiveness.

The Porcupine Warriors shipped out fourteen players and replaced all of them ahead of a busy schedule that will see them competing for the MTN FA Cup, the Ghana Premier League, and the CAF Confederation Cup.

Recruitments aside, Kotoko have also enjoyed relative success in the off-season, having won both the President's and Toyota Cup competitions. However, they fell short in the GHALCA Top 4 tournament, losing all three games.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's season opener, Zito warned that the team may not be ready yet.

‘‘When you are with a lot of new players, it takes time to gel because adaptation is not easy, and the level of intelligence is not the same.

‘‘Even the Europeans will tell you that some can take up to a whole season before the team will gel the way you want it,’’ Zito said ahead of the new season.

In the interim, however, Zito knows exactly what the defending FA Cup champions need to do to stay competitive.

‘‘But there is nothing you can do. We have to fight and fight hard and then adjust our thinking, adjust our attitude towards the league and then the Confederation Cup,’’ he concluded.

Kotoko begin their season with a trip to Berekum Chelsea in the league, before hosting Kwara United in Accra in a CAF Confederation Cup preliminary stage contest on September 21, 2025.

As a result of their Confederation Cup involvement, two of Kotoko’s league matches; a home match with title holders Bibiani Gold Stars and a trip to Basake Holy Stars, have been postponed indefinitely.