Northampton Town: Asante the first of ‘four or five’ Cobblers signings
Cobblers V Crewe Alexandra. Aidy Boothroyd.
THE loan deal that has brought Birmingham City striker Akwasi Asante to Sixfields is the first of ‘four or five’ potential new Cobblers signings.
Town boss Aidy Boothroyd has also confirmed he has held talks with out-of-contract veteran Scottish defender Christian Dailly, while a number of bids have been made for Kidderminster Harriers striker Jamille Matt.
Asante, a six-foot tall 19-year-old Dutch-born forward, was signed on a loan deal yesterday, and will be available for Monday’s trip to Shrewsbury Town but not today’s Sixfields showdown with Swindon Town (ko 3pm).
More names are likely to come into the frame when the transfer window opens on New Year’s Day, and for Boothroyd, timing will be everything.
“It’s all about timing in January and there are four or five players that I’ve outlined that I would like to bring to the club,” he said. “We are some way along with several of those but things can change very quickly in football. We want to run a tight ship, we want a business that works and our aim is to be lean, mean and hungry.
“Sometimes that takes a bit of time because you need to wait for contracts to run out, but I’ve always been honest with players and told them where they stand.”
A number of players could be leaving Sixfields next month in what is likely to be a brief period of great change at the club, at least in terms of playing staff.
And the Cobblers boss is ready to react to any twists and turns that lie ahead as he makes the first real changes to the squad he inherited from Gary Johnson in November.
“Negotiations are going very well and it’s like a game of cards at the moment,” he said. “You put down what you like and there are always one you hit the post on or ones you decide might be a bullet dodged.
“We know what we need and we know the players that we want but getting those players is part of being a manager.
“Sometimes lightning strikes and when that happens you’ve got to be able to deal with that as a manager and move quickly in a different direction. You don’t have time at this time of year to wallow in self-pity if you don’t get your targets or pat yourself on the back if you do get the ones you want.”
Loan signing Asante is somebody that Boothroyd has been keeping close tabs on.
Born in Amsterdam, Asante began his footballing career as a youth player with Dutch side Haarlem. At the age of 13 the striker moved to the UK with his family and was spotted by Birmingham scouts, who signed him for the club’s Academy.
Asante scored five times for Birmingham against Tottenham in an under-18s game in 2010, and he made his Blues first-team debut on August 25 this year as a late substitute in a Europa League play-off second leg victory against Portuguese side CD Nacional.
“Akwasi is a handful for defenders to play against,” said Boothroyd. “He is young, hungry and has a lot of pace. He has a good goalscoring record in reserve team football and I think he can do a good job for us.
“I have seen him play for Birmingham reserves a few times and he has always impressed me. He is available for the Shrewsbury game and he is raring to go.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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There are 6 comments to this article
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Tabasco kid
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 12:21 PMBen Harding, a midfielder, has signed from Wycombe. I hope that a left back arrives soon.
FranklyFrank
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 11:10 AMBoothroyd is pointing in the direction he will take the team - UP!
FranklyFrank
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 11:10 AMBoothroyd is pointing in the direction he will take the team - UP!
bobby boy
Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 06:16 PMSpot on Marvo. the word Muppet come's to mind.
Marvo
Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 10:44 AMDoe is a deer, a female deer, and Jackson, you're a drop of golden sun.
Removed by moderator
Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 09:51 AMWhat doe holding your finger up in the air mean? Is that supposed to be cricket?
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