St Johnstone’s Benjamin Kimpioka Hailed as Premiership’s Standout Player

The question of which player has been the most impactful in the Premiership this season arises. While Celtic maintains a significant lead at the top of the table and Dundee United is performing strongly following their promotion, the most notable individual talent is found at St Johnstone. This assessment comes from Lee Miller, a former striker for Aberdeen and Scotland, who has specifically highlighted St Johnstone’s forward, Benjamin Kimpioka. The 24-year-old Swedish player, who became part of the Perth-based club in January, made an immediate impact this season, netting five goals during the League Cup group stage and accumulating a total of 11 goals across 20 appearances. Kimpioka’s record of six goals in 15 league matches is surpassed solely by Dundee United’s striker, Sam Dalby, who has eight. Nevertheless, it is not exclusively Kimpioka’s goal-scoring ability that has drawn attention. During an appearance on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, Miller elaborated, stating: “I’m going to go left-field with this one.” He continued, “I was going to go with [Nicolas] Kuhn at Celtic. He’s been excellent this season so far. But the times that I’ve seen St Johnstone, I’ve really enjoyed Kimpioka. He just plays with a pure freedom. Every time he gets on the ball, he wants to do wee stepovers, he wants to change direction.” Miller further described Kimpioka’s play: “He’s been electric and he’s scored a good few goals as well. And I think it allows the likes of young Makenzie Kirk coming through, who has started to score goals because he’s been getting a run in the team.” He also commented on the team’s broader transformation: “Since Simo Valakari took over there, they’ve got a new style of play and they’re attacking. Players are stepping up and I just think it’s good to watch and it’s totally away from the normal.” Miller concluded his remarks on Kimpioka by saying: “The times I’ve seen Kimpioka, he plays with a smile on his face, he plays with freedom and he’s somebody you want to pay to watch.”