‘He’d be a very good League One player’ - Northampton verdict on reported Portsmouth, Wycombe and Aberdeen target Ali Koiki

That is the verdict of Northampton Chronicle & Echo reporter James Heneghan, who believes the left-back will depart the Cobblers this summer.

According to Football Insider, the 23-year-old is on the radar of Pompey, Wycombe, St Mirren and Aberdeen after making 74 appearances during his two years at Sixfields.

But after being tipped with a move to Fratton Park in the upcoming window, we got the lowdown on the player from Heneghan, who gave his view on what Blues fans could expect from Koiki.

He told The News: ‘I’d describe him as a powerful and attacking left-back.

‘Northampton signed him a couple of summers ago out of the blue as a free agent because he had an injury issue the previous year, didn’t play many games and was released by Bristol Rovers.

‘When that happens, you're not really sure what to expect but ever since his first game he’s been a very consistent and solid performer.

‘He’s very well built, very strong, very powerful and athletic. However, he is still quite raw but he’s definitely got better defensively and there are still some areas of his game which need tightening up. His positioning and anticipation sometimes let him down but generally he’s been very good.

‘He can make more of his physical attributes. He does power down the left flank quite a lot and gets into good positions but he doesn’t get many goals or assists. That’s something he’s capable of doing though.

‘During the first season Koiki played for Northampton, he played as a left-back and was very good. He was one of the top five or six performers of that season.

‘When he signed in 2021, it was just a one-year deal but Northampton had an option to extend that last summer - which they did.

‘He’s now out of contract this summer and they have offered him a new deal but I don’t think he’s going to accept it. I don’t think he’s out-right turned it down as that report suggested but it’s looking that way.

‘Last season he struggled with injury. He played a lot of games during the 2021-22 campaign and it was the first time in his career he’d played that many. That could’ve taken its toll on him last season.

‘He’s had two hamstring injuries. One was in the autumn where he missed a month and he came back, played a few games and then got another one in February and that was the last time he played that season.

‘Northampton had a lot of injury issues last year, there were a lot of muscle injuries and part of that was because Jon Brady likes to use pace, power and athleticism. He likes players who are very explosive. That’s great but those players are more prone to muscle injuries.

‘Koiki is one of those, he makes a lot of sprints and that can lead to more muscle problems. His body hasn't been used to playing 30-40 games in a season until the season before last and that was the first season where he played a lot of games.

‘With a full summer of rest I don’t think there would be that many issues if he’s not playing every week. If you had someone where he could drop out for a game or two and not be playing every week then that wouldn’t be so much of an issue.

‘He’s definitely got the potential to improve. When he first signed, he was very raw, didn’t have much experience but Brady has definitely improved him both attacking and defensively.

‘He’d be a very good League One player, he’s shown it in League Two and if he can keep himself fit and work under the right manager, there’s no reason why he can’t be a very solid League One player.’