Since joining Belgian outfit KAA Gent, Kenyan international Joseph Okumu has become a vital cog in the club’s wheel as he has backed his impressive performances with decent statistics.The lanky defender made the switch from Swedish side Elfsborg in the summer transfer window with Gent paying a fee believed to be in the region of £3.15m (Ksh474M).Okumu had attracted interest from a number of established European sides including reigning Scottish champions Rangers and a number of Belgian clubs including Genk.2-0 (24’) | GOAL OKUMU!! 2-0! #gntbil #CrokyCup pic.twitter.com/k5KgVENVLL— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) October 27, 2021 The former Chemelil Sugar defender has had his season’s stats compiled by Total Football Analysis with his defensive number being one of his strong points.“So far this season he has played 907 minutes in the domestic league and as you can see from his data profile he is well balanced across all key areas,”“We will start with his defensive outputs as he is averaging 8.14 defensive duels per 90 with a success rate of 79.27% which combined with 4,96 aerial duels per 90 and a success rate of 66% gives him an extremely solid defensive base,”“Okumu, however, is not a central defender who just has a tendency to sit deep and wait for the ball to come for him. He likes to be aggressive in looking for opportunities to step in front of the ball as his 7.83 possession adjusted interceptions shows us,” read part of an article from Total Football Analysis.Okumu clocks top speed in SwedenThe 24-year-old has not been a stranger in impressive stats as back in December 2020, he clocked the highest speed in the Swedish league, recording a speed of 34.58km/hr on his way to being named the fastest player.Okumu is also known to be comfortable with the ball at his feet with the modern game laying emphasis on building from the back with his stats in Belgian highlighting this. “In possession, Okumu is extremely strong with the capacity to play line-breaking passes or switch the play through diagonal passes. He is averaging 45.64 passes per 90 with 20.74 per 90 being forward passes,”Full minutes for Kenyan International Joseph Okumu as KAA Gent edge Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta FC 2-0 in an UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match this evening #StarsAbroad pic.twitter.com/H5wFTTt4Nd— Jeff Kinyanjui (@Nyash88) September 30, 2021 “This means that 45.44% of his passes are played forward. He is also averaging 9.82 progressive passes per 90 which translates as 21.5% of his passes being classified as forward passes,” added the article.With the impressive stats Okumu is tipped to be playing in the European top five leagues in the near future having also impressed in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
