The Porcupine Warriors on Thursday announced the signing of former Accra Hearts of Oak centre-back Mohammed Alhassan for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old was released by the Phobians for reasons yet unknown when he had some months left on his contract.
It's a real statement of intent from Kotoko, who have watched Alhassan quietly blossom into one of the league’s best defenders hence their resolve to pounce on the former Hearts man's unique skillset and bring him over to Kumasi.
Many Kotoko fans excitedly speculated he was actually going to be the club’s long-awaited solution to their problems in defence. It is true that Alhassan has the quality to stabilise Kotoko’s defence that has flattered to deceive this term. So, what does Mohammed Alhassan offer on the pitch?
A no-nonsense throwback to a bygone era, Alhassan does everything you could want from your centre-back. He screams at his fellow defenders to keep them organised, keeps his eyes firmly on the ball and will clatter through anybody if it means kicking the ball away from his goal.
Where Alhassan truly thrives is interceptions. An absolute monster in the air, he boasts uncanny intelligence when it comes to attacking the ball and can pick the perfect second to leap up and claim the ball. He's blessed physically, but unlike so many other hulking centre-backs, he knows how to use it perfectly.
He is not the kind that rush into tackles. He times his tackles and wait for the right time to pounce. It's a sort of composure that Kotoko fans haven't seen from their defenders for a while now. With Maxwell Agyemang and Andrews Appau often looking like they have never seen a football before, there is a real need for someone with Alhassan’s mentality, which can be likened to the established names of the sport.
However, what makes Alhassan so special is that he can translate his skillset from defence to attack. He picks the right moment to tackle, but with the ball at his feet, retains that composure in search of the perfect pass. With Seydou Zerbo looking to create a fast-paced, possession-heavy machine at Kotoko, he'll need someone capable of pulling the strings from defence, and that's exactly what Alhassan can be.
Seemingly immune to pressure, Alhassan could not care less when opponents try to throw him off his game. He'll simply tap the ball to the side and continue doing what he does, or he'll get the pass away before anything has the potential to go wrong.
You'll even see Alhassan gamble on his ability to beat a man as well. He's never afraid to push forward into space and can start to look like more of a midfielder in the blink of an eye. It's a risky play style, but his effortlessly cool demeanour makes you feel confident in what he's doing.
Now, a centre-back who can pass a ball isn't that rare these days, but Alhassan’s ability with the ball at his feet transcends that. His passes are pinpoint perfect and he's regularly relied upon to play his team-mates into space with through balls.
What Kotoko are spending their money on is an unconventional, but highly modern, centre-back. What he lacks in pace he makes up for in providing the ball progression functions of a deep playmaker. His relentlessness is also an asset in breaking up opposition attacks.
He does so much of everything, and manages to do it all at such a high level. Kotoko know just how much of an impact Alhassan would have on their shaky defence. The lack of such a unified playing vision is what Kotoko have lacked until now.
