In recent years, Peterborough United have been a team that, on paper, looks too good for EFL League One.
Yet, they still fail to earn promotion every year, coming close and losing in the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Their start to the season this time around has been something of a surprise.
They sit 12th, just one point behind sixth-placed Stockport County and seven points behind Birmingham City, who are at the top of the pile.
If Peterborough is to cut the deficit, they will rely heavily on 23-year-old Kwame Poku’s style of play, who has contributed the most goals in the league.
The visualisation below highlights Poku’s numbers from this season compared with those of the other players in his position who play in similar-quality leagues to League One.
Kwame Poku Radar Map
Poku’s attacking numbers are among the best, not just in League One but in the entirety of EFL.
With an xG of 3.5, Poku has six goals, underlining his excellent finishing.
This is very different to how he finished last year – 11 goals from an xG of 11.12.
It will be interesting to see if he continues to overperform his xG.
In addition to the goals, Poku has attempted the most shots and has one of the best goal conversion rates.
His defensive numbers are not as good as his offensive numbers, so he is not yet a complete player that will help him attract more interest from the divisions above League One.
He is way behind in the ranking for the number of defensive actions attempted per 90 minutes, with only 4.88.
However, his role in the team also means he currently has fewer defensive responsibilities.
Kwame Poku has become one of the most improved and reliable players in Peterborough.
With his contract expiring next summer, Poku will want to use this season as an opportunity to catch the attention of people at his club for a contract extension or the attention of people levels above his current team.
