Why Posh fans should reserve judgement on Okagbue

Peterborough United announced the signing of David Okagbue from Walsall this evening (21st July) on a four-year deal, with the club holding the option of a fifth. 

Photo credit : Joe Dent / Peterborough United

The signing of a centre-back has been chased by Darragh MacAnthony for the entire summer window, with Bristol Rovers’ Connor Taylor heavily linked. 

Okagbue’s arrival ends the speculation over this position, and likely marks the final defensive signing of the summer. 

Who is David Okagbue?

The 21 year old fits the modern model of an EFL centre-back. He is a quick, physical presence who likes to play the ball out from the back. 

Okagbue is around 6ft 3ins, and so will not be overly susceptible to long-ball football. With a view to being partnered with Sam Hughes, his signing suggests that Darren Ferguson is once again placing an emphasis on being aerially dominant at the back. 

Darragh MacAnthony described Okagbue as ‘quick’, a profile that will fit nicely alongside the less mobile Hughes. The partnership of the solid Sam Hughes and the pacier Oscar Wallin had a nice balance in the second half of last campaign, and Okagbue’s athleticism will hopefully pave the way to a similarly versatile partnership. 

On the surface, the physical profile of Okagbue seems to fit the bill perfectly for what was needed this summer. 

However…

The drawback of Okagbue is on the ball, where his stats from last season will not make happy reading for Posh fans. Okagbue’s pass completion rate was amongst the lowest in his position in League Two at around 65%. 

Oscar Wallin, Sam Hughes and Emmanuel Fernandez all produced pass completion rates of between 85-90%. This will undoubtedly have to improve given the emphasis that Posh place on playing out from the back. 

Kevin ‘Rooster’ Russell worked with David Okagbue in Stoke City’s U21s, and so knows what he is capable of, and will be looking to improve him across the season. As a young player with a lot of potential, Okagbue could be a very exciting addition. 

A view from Kam the Walsall fan

David Okagbue first joined us on loan at the start of 2023/24 and, after a really shaky start away at Salford, ended up having a solid first season. 

We signed him on a permanent basis last summer to a lot of fans' surprise and delight. After a few injuries to some of our other defenders at the start of the season, he made the RCB position his own and had a pretty good campaign overall.

Like most of our squad, he had a dip towards the back end which contributed to our promotion squander and culminated with the horrible performance he had at Wembley.

He's athletic, a good ball winner and strong in the air, but can be shaky in possession with the hopeless lump into the channel frustrating fans on a near-weekly basis. The majority of his minutes came on the right of a back three where he could defend the channel as well as link up with the RWB in attack if needs be

Personally, I think another year in League Two would've helped his development but that's not to say he can't step up and be solid in League One straight away!

X: @KamCavanagh

My take 

I was hoping for Connor Taylor as the new central defender, and so am disappointed that deal didn’t go through. I felt that Taylor’s League One experience would have been invaluable to us this campaign. 

Okagbue is not that kind of player, and is very much a raw talent who needs developing. That said, he has been in a promotion-chasing side at Walsall, and although he was a part of a side that committed one of the worst ‘bottle-jobs’ in recent history last campaign, that tough experience will have improved him as a player physically and mentally.

I am excited that Rooster has worked with Okagbue before, that gives me greater confidence as I have a lot of trust in his ability to spot and develop talent. He clearly feels that Okagbue has real potential, or we almost certainly wouldn’t have signed him.

Okagbue did not get the best of reviews from Walsall fans this season, and his step-up to League One has been met with some disbelief. I am cautious to place too much emphasis on the reactions of online fans though (just think about Kyprianou’s transfer from Leyton Orient), and will therefore be reserving judgement until I have seen Okagbue in a competitive game. 

Overall, I am delighted that we are tying down new signings to long-term contracts, and am excited to see how David Okagbue can improve alongside Sam Hughes as the season progresses.