Odimayo shunned new Swindon deal in favour of Sixfields switch after speaking to Cobblers boss Brady

Defender Akin Odimayo, Cobblers’ most recent summer signing, chose to shun a new deal at previous club Swindon Town in favour of a move to Sixfields after being impressed by what manager Jon Brady had to say.

The 22-year-old centre-half, who can also play at full-back, was confirmed as Northampton’s fifth summer signing on Saturday evening after putting pen to paper on a two-year contract.

"The gaffer here reached out to me and he really sold me an idea of his plans and what he wants to do this season and that just really appealed to me,” said Odimayo. "I felt there would be a role for me in this team and that’s how the move came about.”

The versatile defender learned his trade in Reading’s academy but made only one senior appearance for the Berkshire club before being released in 2020 and subsequently snapped up by Swindon.

"I started out with Reading but Swindon was a good move for me because Reading liked to play football and so did Swindon so it was a seamless move between the two clubs,” Odimayo added. “League One and League Two are quite physical so I learned that side of the game quite quickly, especially last season.

"I had a good spell at Swindon and I really enjoyed my time there. I hit the ground running in my first year and felt I played well but unfortunately we got relegated. We then pushed for the play-offs last season so it was two good years and I was pleased with how it went.”

On his style of defending, Odimayo added: "I’m fast and try to be as aggressive as possible. I will bring some composure on the ball and I like to play as well but I’m a defender first so I want to get stuck in and be aggressive defensively.”

Odimayo trained with his new team-mates before Saturday’s practice match against Nottingham Forest and will join them for a pre-season camp in Scotland this week.

He continued: "I’m looking forward to going to Scotland and getting to know my new team-mates here. It should be good fun and hopefully I can hit the ground running and get on with the job at hand.

"I feel good and fit and I’m just happy to be here and looking forward to giving the season a good go.”