Ekanit Panya is a newly 24-year-old Thai senior national that spent the last season on loan at Urawa Reds in J1. When he began making appearances at the end of the campaign, he impressed with his performances. This has led to him staying in Japan to train with the new Reds coach in the hope of extending his loan instead of representing Thailand at the AFC Asian Cup.
Panya is typical stature in the Japanese domestic leagues at 168 cm and lean. Despite lacking strength and press resistance on reception, this allows him to draw fouls quite easily. While his physique is nothing to marvel at, his quickness, explosion, and ability to maintain elite pace on runs all stick out massively. It is the first thing to notice about him athletically.
Mentally and tactically, Panya stands out as a natural footballer. He knows where to put the ball next before receiving, playing passes in combination on one touches to progress. His timing and ability to find space between defenders on support runs to receive through are unique traits to make him hard to track off ball. This tactical intelligence makes Panya a key contributor on counterattacks.
On ball, Panya’s quickness stands out, allowing him to beat his marker with raw pace cutting inside or dribbling forward, then drawing a foul or distributing forward. He often comes short in the opposition half near the midline or flashing at the wings to link play in space. Afterward, he turns and is scanning for possible progression. Here, Panya showcases his passing range with his dominant right foot, being able to cross or chip accurately with his right. Switching play and breaking lines are hi specialty, even on the ground. His ground passes break liens well with precision but he needs to work on their weight as despite accuracy, they consistently make the first touch hard on his target. Panya displays that he has reliable vision and is a consistent progressor who is okay with not always taking risks. Although not the most technical on the ball, his raw athleticism works at this level. There is not much skill to his dribbling and his left foot is not to be relied upon, evidenced by some poor in swinging crosses. On top of this, Panya must improve against pressure, although it is not a major negative to his game.
Another important aspect to the Thai attacking midfielder is his specialization on set pieces. Panya is an accurate creator and finisher from these positions. On corners he took in J1, one occasion set up a creative out swinging driven ground pass to the near post for a shot that was unfortunately blocked. On set pieces around the box, he was able to finish low and with power to the near post on his right foot, putting some threat on the goalkeeper. His crosses from free kicks were generally accurate, too, often setting up headed chances for his teammates.
On the press, that quickness stands out once again for Panya as he chases down opponents and possession relentlessly. His effort in his own half could be higher but that energy is best reserved for the attack.
Panya is an exciting overaged talent looking to get his foot in the door in more prestigious leagues. As a set piece specialist with counterattacking traits galore, Urawa Reds would be making a mistake not loaning him back in. The future is bright for Panya, but he must make the most of next season if he is to ever move to Europe.
Target Scouting 