Playmaker's EFL 72: #35 Kwame Poku

Playmaker's countdown of the EFL's best performers this season is whipping along nicely and we are already hanging out in the company of thirty-somethings. 

It's certainly been no easy task, but - just to clarify - our '72' is less a roll call of the best footballers in the EFL and more a tribute to those players who have enjoyed the most memorable seasons while racking up the most impressive stats.

Whatever the criteria, we're confident in our selections of the most outstanding players through the Championship, League One, and League Two and welcome any debate on the subject!

At number 35, we have an exciting winger causing havoc for the most prolific team in League One this season...

Number 35: Kwame Poku (Peterborough United)

As inverted wingers go, Kwame Poku has pretty much got the lot. 

Fantastic in 1v1s, able to go either way when facing up defenders and with bags of end product, the 22-year-old can also operate to great effect as a number 10. 

In most sides in 'The 92', Poku would be classed as a youngster, but not in this Peterborough side. Part of a squad with an average age of just 22, the winger is by no means the whippersnapper of the group and his numbers in League One illustrate how influential he is for Posh. 

With 11 goals and seven assists this season in the third tier, Poku is the joint-11th most productive player in the division and only Ephron Mason-Clark (14 goals, seven assists) and captain Harrison Burrows (six goals, 14 assists) have been involved in more goals for League One's top scorers so far this season. 

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson remarked earlier in the season that "Kwame gets away from opponents so quickly" and it's no surprise that Poku ranks 9th in the third tier for successful dribbles (51), as well as 8th for shots taken (91). 

Poku is a genuine goal threat and only three players in League One (Paddy Lane, Luke Leahy and Sam Smith) have more potent left pegs in 2023/24 than the Ghanaian (seven left-footed strikes), who has also been denied by the woodwork on three occasions.  

Posh boss names some of his team for Cheltenham and also delivers an upbeat injury message https://t.co/moP3zYKVy5 #pufc

— Alan Swann (@PTAlanSwann) April 22, 2024

A 2-0 defeat against Cheltenham last night ended Peterborough's faint hopes of automatic promotion and Posh boss Ferguson has already stated that Poku will now be primed for the play-offs after picking up a foot injury recently against Fleetwood. 

"You can’t wrap players up in cotton wool completely. If you start thinking about picking up injuries you will probably get them, but I’m making an exception with Kwame. He will not be seen until the play-offs when we expect he will be fit."

Such special treatment is reserved for special players... and the exciting Poku comes under that bracket. 

Playmaker's EFL 72...the countdown

36: Illan Meslier 37: Aden Flint

38: Ronnie Edwards 39: Josh Sargent 40: Alex Gilbey 41: Ben Sheaf

42: Jobe Bellingham 43: Devante Cole 44: Jacob Greaves 45: Paddy Lane

46: Herbie Kane 47: Dan James 48: Archie Collins 49: Karamoko Dembele

50: Haji Wright 51: Dan Crowley 52: Cameron Brannagan 53: Aaron Collins

54: Andy Cook 55: Connor Shaughnessy 56: Jannik Vestergaard

57: Willy Gnonto 58: Ellis Simms 59: Charlie Hughes 60: Fatawu Isshaku

61: Sam Hoskins 62: Paul Mullin 63: Chris Martin 64: Omari Hutchinson

65: Isaac Hutchinson 66: Sam Tickle 67: Ben Hinchcliffe 68: Michał Helik

69: Lewis Wing 70: Rob Apter 71: Kyle Walker-Peters 72: Alex Palmer