Naythan Din-Kariuki, a Kenyan national working for English Premier League side, Aston Villa, has been promoted.

In a statement shared on Monday, March 10, 2025, Kariuki confirmed his promotion at the EPL side, which sits seventh on the log with 45 points.

Kariuki, son of Gina Din, a Kenyan businesswoman and public relations (PR) guru, confirmed that he had been elevated to Lead Data Scout for Aston Villa.

His promotion came barely a year after the EPL side tapped into his expertise and hired him as First Team Recruitment Analyst.

Kariuki expressed joy in his new role, noting that he was ready to help Aston Villa knit together data to help the first team thrive in the European stage.

“Having been at Aston Villa Football Club for just under a year as a First Team Recruitment Analyst, I am really proud and honored to say that I’ve been promoted to Lead Data Scout,” Kariuki’s statement read in part.

“I am a big believer in the power of data to support, challenge, or expand on what our eyes tell us, and I am very grateful that the club has placed its trust in me to step into a role that allows me to knit together these two perspectives,” he added.

Roles

Kariuki will be critical in the general performance of Aston Villa. At the heart of data scouting, Naythan Din-Kariuki will be required to leverage advanced statistical models and algorithms to assess a player’s overall performance, strengths, weaknesses, and contributions to the team.

His role will also involve analysing performance metrics such as goals scored, assists, pass completion rates, successful tackles, and interceptions. These provide objective data points for evaluating players.

To help him succeed, Kariuki will be required to work closely with a team of other analysts at Aston Villa, head coach Unai Emery and the entire technical staff.

His career growth

His career kicked off as a first-team goalkeeper coach for Kariobangi Sharks FC in January 2016, where he played a part in the planning, organization and delivery of coaching sessions for the first team.

He played an integral part in ensuring the Sharks earned promotion from the National Super League (NSL) to the then Kenya Premier League.

After departing Kariobangi Sharks, Kariuki joined Eden Sports Group between 2018 and 2019 before joining English club Oxford United FC in 2020.

Later he was picked by Danish Club AC Horsens in 2023, where he worked as a Senior Scout up to April 2024, when he left the club to join Aston Villa.