Accra Hearts of Oak head coach, Aboubakar Ouattara, has dismissed allegations that top management members, Vincent Sowah Odotei and Alhaji Akanbi, are involved in the club's player recruitment process.
Ouattara insists that he is solely responsible for recruitment and has his own policy in place.
The coach's denial comes amidst growing discontent among fans regarding the team's recent recruitment efforts, which have failed to yield desired results. The team narrowly avoided relegation in the previous two seasons.
Ouattara revealed that he personally identifies his target players, conducts research, and then sends them to scouts for further evaluation. He engages with the players to gauge their suitability for the team and makes recommendations to the club's Managing Director.
“Both Odotei and Akanbi are not involved in recruitment. I have my recruitment policy where I identify my targets, do my research, and give them to my scouts to further evaluate the player."
“I engage the players and tell them my plans for them, and by doing so I can know the good and bad side of a player and then make recommendations to the Managing Director of the club,” he said at a press conference," he said.
The coach has set his sights on building a formidable team for next season, saying: "The target for next season is simple; we need to have a good team for next season and play well and meet expectations of the fans."
He also refuted claims that he was being moved to a technical director role, insisting he remains the head coach of the team.
Hearts of Oak will begin pre-season training in the coming days ahead of the start of the 2024-25 Ghana Premier League in early September.
