Will Arsenal invest or promote Chuba Akpom?
Whilst it remains well anticipated that Arsenal will be looking to recruit a striker this summer to join the front line, just who will be signing for the club, remains largely unknown. But instead of seeing a new face at the Emirates, could Wenger instead promote Akpom to first team duties?
Arsenal have supposedly lined up a few strikers as transfer targets this summer, with Juventus’ Alvaro Morata and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku being top priorities for Arsene Wenger. However fans remain fearful that Wenger could go with his all too familiar policy of promoting youngsters into the first team, rather than investing in the top calibre of players.
A few days ago it was highlighted that Jon Toral, who was on loan at Birmingham last season, could be promoted to the Arsenal first team next season after a highly impressive year for the Blues. Another youth team player and regular feature in the Arsenal Under 21 team, Chuba Akpom, could also be tipped to join up with the first team squad with the Gunners short on the strikers.
Akpom has featured for the Gunners a few times since making his professional competitive debut for the club in 2013. But since then, he has largely been put out on loan by Wenger with the intention of the young Englishman gaining some much needed competitive experience. Subsequently Akpom has spent time on loan at several Championship clubs with spells at Brentford, Coventry, Nottingham Forest and Hull City. However the 20 year old has not had the most prolific spell in front of goal, managing just 7 goals in over 40 appearances for Hull City last season.
Personally I do not think Akpom has what it takes to make a break for it in the Arsenal first team. However he definitely should continue his development, as he still has plenty of potential to grow into a good striker for the Gunners! But I don’t quite think he is worth investing in just yet and if Wenger is serious about showing ambition next season then he should forget about integrating the likes of Sanogo and Akpom into the first team because they simply are not cutting it at the moment.
All Arsenal fans alike know that Wenger should be investing in a top quality striker this summer, however the real question is, does Wenger know this himself?
BY AH