'Breath of fresh air' striker signing arrives in Irish League with experience from England, Finland and Republic of Ireland
Coleraine boss Ruaidhri Higgins is relishing the chance to reunite with former player James Akintunde – backing the January arrival to bring “so much off and on the pitch”.
Higgins and Akintunde worked together at Derry City in the League of Ireland from 2020 to 2023 – with the Bannsiders manager accepting the exit of the London-born striker as “one of the mistakes that I made”.
Akintunde - who counts Maidenhead United, Bohemins and Finland’s Haka on his list of previous clubs – will officially link up with the Irish League outfit once the New Year transfer window opens.
“James brings so much off and on the pitch,” said Higgins on the official Coleraine club website following the announcement of the 29-year-old forward’s signing. “I’ve said that we wanted to bring in a versatile forward player...someone who is equally adaptable at playing in a number of attacking positions.
“I’ve no problem saying this, as a manager you make mistakes - and one of the mistakes that I made in my previous job was letting him leave the club.
“Once he became available again, we wanted to bring him here and he’s so different to the forwards we have here.
“He’s a breath of fresh air, he’s selfless and we are delighted to have him.
“James will bring so much to the group and he’s a player that the supporters will take to.”
Akintunde is the second January capture confirmed by Coleraine, following the recent announcement that defender Mark Connolly has agreed terms.