William Akio’s Ross County career is still very much in its infancy.
From the little we have seen of the South Sudan international forward, the early indications suggest he will offer the Staggies a very enterprising attacking dimension.
Akio arrived at Victoria Park during the summer on a three-year deal from Canadian outfit Valour FC.
The 24-year-old instantly attracted attention due to a shocking open goal miss in his final outing for his previous club.
That howler did not appear to diminish the widespread excitement from Staggies’ fans at Akio’s arrival.
Having only turned professional when he signed for Valour FC in May 2021, Akio went on to produce a return of 10 goals in 43 matches which caught the eye of the Staggies’ recruitment team.
County manager Malky Mackay spoke of his hope that Akio could continue his upward career trajectory after making the switch across the Atlantic.
Forward faced early disruption to Ross County career
Akio had a bittersweet start to his Staggies career, after coming off the bench to make his debut in a Premier Sports Cup tie against East Fife.
Although he made an instant impression on the field, racking up two quickfire assists in a 7-0 win, Akio’s afternoon was cut short by what seemed an innocuous knee injury picked up late in the game.
It proved to be more serious than first anticipated, causing Akio to miss the start of the league campaign.
Although it was feared he could be sidelined for a number of months, Akio returned to the fold sooner than expected at the start of this month.
He made his Premiership debut as a half-time substitute against Aberdeen on September 3, and marked it with a late equalising goal in the 1-1 draw.
Akio’s reward was a first start for his new club in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against St Johnstone, in which he came through 88 minutes of action unscathed.
It remains early to make any definitive judgment, given Akio has not had the same amount of game time as other attacking summer arrivals such as Owura Edwards, Kazeem Olaigbe and Jordy Hiwula.
Akio has shown encouraging initial signs
In his brief time in the park, Akio has already managed to offer some promising signs.
Akio appears to carry a strong goal threat, having attempted three shots in only 133 Premiership minutes. His expected goals tally of 0.44 ranks him fourth in Ross County’s table for the season so far.
Although it was a frustrating afternoon for the Staggies’ attacking players against Saints on Saturday, Akio’s performance offered encouragement.
The nine dribbles he attempted (Source – Stats Perform) was significantly more than any other player on the park, and the table below indicates that could be a key attribute for the Staggies in the weeks to come.
This statistic, allied with his pace, clearly makes Akio a dangerous outlet in the Staggies’ attack.
Akio’s touchmap, covering his first two league games, shows he has been most active in the wide right attacking position where he has been deployed.
From the 63 touches he has made so far, there appears to be a willingness from Akio to cover ground all across the pitch.
As well as plenty of tracking back, Akio has also made his presence felt inside the penalty box.
His pass graphic, shown below, indicates he is keen to engage with play in various areas of the park.
It is early days for Akio, and a more conclusive picture of his game will emerge in the weeks to come.
The initial signs suggest Akio could be up to the task of performing a number of functions in Mackay’s side.
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