4. Chuba Akpom
- Age: 19
- Position: Striker
- Squad Number: 38
- Best Quality: Determination
It’s not been an easy year for the striker so far, but things are beginning to look good as the England youth international begins to get some game time.
We last saw Akpom in the FA Cup on Sunday night, where if anything stood out most, it was his desire to get himself on the score sheet. Now at 3-2 up and the counter attacking chances popping up, some would simply play in their mate and wrap up the game. But not Akpom, he was determined to show Wenger that his only thought is hitting the back of the net, and I think we saw a lot of frustration in the teenager.
He is sort of stuck in the middle of the first team and the Under 21s at the moment, and if he isn’t being used off the bench by Wenger, he’ll be in the starting line up the next day for the Academy.
He was the key man last year for the team, scoring 15 goals in just 23 appearances, and then knocking in nine goals between the Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League, so he definitely has the evidence to state his case.
But what he must do now is show he is good enough for the big boys. Joel Campbell kept getting his ‘chance’ and never really shone, so it is important for Akpom to hit the ground running, and playing his academy game is not the way to do that. He will no longer be the main man in the squad, and he needs to recognise that.
Is he good enough? Yes. I would rate the 19-year-old to be better than Yaya Sanogo, and would genuinely like to see him in the starting line up against weaker teams in the League. He’s already had two loan spells, so its beginning to look like last chance saloon for the English youth.