Akpom needs to leave Arsenal for more experience

Akpom must consider loan move away!

Whilst there have been a few developments on the incoming front these last few days, with Perez officially announced today and Mustafi surely soon to follow, there has also been no shortage of players linked with a move away from the club.

Joel Campbell left the club on loan for Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon last week and he made his debut this weekend, whilst Calum Chambers has also reportedly agreed terms with Premier League newcomers Middlesborough. There has also been rumours about Wilshere and Gnabry, both of whom are supposedly under pressure to complete moves away before deadline day, with Wilshere made available for loan, whilst Gnabry may be off to Werder Bremen in a permanent transfer. Whilst all these deals reportedly have progress currently underway, one player who is apparently still waiting on a move is Arsenal youth striker Chuba Akpom.

I say youth striker because Akpom is still only 20 years old, however he has been amongst the first team squad for pre-season for a number of years now, yet is still unable to mark his presence in a competitive game. Akpom is no stranger to going out on loan from Arsenal, having previously spent time away from the Emirates with Brentford, Coventry, Nottingham Forest and Hull City. However he has only managed to find the back of the net on three occasions in the domestic leagues, all of which came when he was on loan at Hull last season.

With an opportunity unlikely to arise at Arsenal no matter how desperate we are in attack, Akpom seems to be considering whether he should go out on loan again this season, rather than be stuck in the Arsenal reserve squads playing under 21 football.
When considering if he’d prefer a move, Akpom said: “I think that obviously reserve football and first team football is a big difference.The Championship is tough, playing games week in week out and experiencing it is a good experience. I think that any player, if you go out on loan and get as many games as possible you’re going to come back experienced and I think I have.”

Now Akpom may feel that he is more experienced as a result of his loan spells away from North London, but three goals in 56 domestic league appearances over the course of 3 years is not promising at all and he definitely needs to improve if he desires to lead Arsenal’s front line one day. Akpom of course had a good pre-season with Arsenal and it looked like he may have even been in with a shot of starting the Liverpool game, but Wenger like many, deemed the English forward wasn’t ready for such a task.

Spending time out on loan with a competitive side in the Championship is surely much more beneficial than being stuck in the youth ranks at Arsenal. Different experiences on loan as a player allow the players to mature, develop and grow into more talented players with different styles of play, rather than being stuck playing in an arguably uncompetitive under 21 league. A move for Akpom would be the best option for the player and Arsenal, however he still awaits on an offer before the deadline closes tomorrow.

By AH

4 Comments

  1. I actually thought Akpom was ready for the big stage. That said, Wenger surely is closer to the players and knows many things I obviously do not. And the arrival of Perez pretty much closes the door for Akpom at Arsenal this season so……….. off to a club on loan looks the best.

  2. I don’t think Akpom should go out on loan. We have two players who can play at CF: Lucas Perez and Giroud. Till December, Welbeck is ruled out, which means if one of the strikers get injured, God forbid, if Perez is injured, we will be stuck with Giroud for the entirety of his injury duration. Knowing our record, you can never rule that out. CF is not a position like midfield where we are blessed with abundant personnel. Akpom will provide cover and will also get matches in Cup games. Once Welbeck is fit, he may be sent out on loan during the January window but till then, we will need him to stay put.

    1. I believe Akpom needs loan time to develop but I absolutely I agree with you that he needs to stay put for now to give us cover till Welbeck comes back, then he can be let go on loan in the January transfer window.

  3. Last season Akpom scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 1800 minutes at hull in the championship. 600 minutes per goal is nowhere near good enough, particularly as hull came fourth.

    The stats clearly suggest he is not ready for Arsenal first team so is unlikely to get much first team playing time if he stays, unless of course he is showing something special in training.

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