da bet vitoria： Arsenal’s young starlet Chuba Akpom has been tipped for great things after his recent cameo performances for the Gunners haven’t gone unnoticed. Akpom came on against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday and immediately caught the eye in his excellent 20-minute appearance.
da cassino： Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Manchester City are all keeping tabs on the Arsenal teenager, according to reports in the Express. Akpom’s contract is up at the end of the season and he’s not been shy of any interest, as Borussia Dortmund, FC Twente and Feyenoord are also all keen on offering the striker a pre-contract deal. The Dutch pair tried to sign him on-loan in the summer, but Akpom vowed to stay and fight for a starting place in Arsene Wenger’s first-team.
The Arsenal boss has reportedly offered his newfound wonderkid a new and improved three-year-deal to persuade him to stay at the Emirates, but the Newham-born ace looks to be holding out to see what arises elsewhere. Akpom has been with the Gunners since he was six-years-old, and he’s represented England at youth level since he was 15. Now 19, his decision on staying at the Emirates or moving on, will arguably be the biggest decision of his footballing life yet. He’s hit the age where warming the bench at a big club isn’t an option anymore, he needs regular top flight first-team football – therefore maybe moving abroad, or to a ‘smaller’ club if you like, wouldn’t be such a bad idea for the youngster.
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The forward went on a one-month loan to Brentford last season, making four substitute appearances for the Bees – following that up with a month at Coventry City, where he started five of six League One games for the West Midlands club. Akpom made his long-awaited first Premier League appearance for the Gunners as an 89th minute replacement for Olivier Giroud in a 3-1 away win at Sunderland back in September 2013. He’s only made one league appearance for Arsenal since, coming on as a late substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Southampton last month.
The youngster has all the attributes to go on and be a world class striker – he’s quick, powerful and although it’s at a much lower level, his nine goals in 10 Under-21 Premier League games for the Gunners speaks volumes of his prospects. After waiting so patiently in the wings for his first senior appearance, could the fact that Akpom has only featured in the Premier League twice as a substitute since turning pro in 2013, have an impact on where he sees his future lying?
In the wake of the recent loans of Lukas Podolski to Inter Milan and Yaya Sanogo to Crystal Palace, Arsenal need as many attacking options as possible as we enter the vital stages of the season. With finding home-grown gems like Chuba Akpom becoming a harder and harder task, the Gunners can’t afford to lose such a hot English prospect like Akpom.
The boy has already shown what he’s made of and certainly proved he can score goals, albeit at youth level, and 19-years-old isn’t exactly young in football terms these days. But if the teenager feels his future lies away from the Emirates Stadium, then it may well be out of Arsene Wenger’s hands.
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