Chuba Akpom

Chuba Akpom
Akpom playing for Arsenal U21 in 2012
Personal information
Full name Chuba Amechi Akpom[1]
Date of birth (1995-10-09) 9 October 1995[2]
Place of birth Canning Town, West Ham, London, England[3]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[4]
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 PAOK
Number 47
Youth career
2002–2013 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2018 Arsenal 4 (0)
2014 → Brentford (loan) 4 (0)
2014 → Coventry City (loan) 6 (0)
2015 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 7 (0)
2015–2016 → Hull City (loan) 36 (3)
2017 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 10 (0)
2018 → Sint-Truiden (loan) 16 (6)
2018– PAOK 2 (0)
National team‡
2011 England U16 2 (0)
2011–2012 England U17 13 (5)
2012–2014 England U19 13 (6)
2014–2015 England U20 11 (6)
2015–2016 England U21 5 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:04, 23 September 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:28, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

Chuba Amechi Akpom (born 9 October 1995) is an English professional footballer of Nigerian descent who plays as a striker and centre forward for Greek club PAOK FC .[5] He has represented England at youth international levels.

Club career

Arsenal

Akpom joined Arsenal at the age of six.[6][3] He made his debut for the Arsenal U18 side at the age of 15, and signed his first professional contract with Arsenal on 10 October 2012, a day after turning 17.[3][7] In December 2012 Akpom received his first call into the Arsenal senior squad, when he was an unused substitute for a 2–1 Champions League defeat to Olympiakos.[8] He made 20 U21 Premier League appearances during the 2012–13 season and scored 13 goals, including 10 goals in 10 games in the Elite Group stage. In the lead-up to the 2013–14 season, Akpom was selected for Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia and scored once in a 7–0 win against an Indonesia Dream Team, two more in a 7–1 win against Vietnam[9][10][11] and another in Arsenal's final game of the tour against Urawa Red Diamonds.[12] Akpom made his competitive debut in a 3–1 Premier League win over Sunderland on 14 September 2013.[13] He came on in the third minute of injury time as a substitute for the injured Olivier Giroud.[14] Akpom's second Arsenal appearance came in a League Cup third round tie away to West Bromwich Albion on 25 September.[13] He replaced goalscorer Thomas Eisfeld after 82 minutes and with the scores at 1–1 at full-time, the game entered extra time.[13] Akpom played the full scoreless extra time period and scored Arsenal's third penalty in the ensuing shootout, helping Arsenal to a win.[13] He scored three goals in four UEFA Youth League appearances towards the end of 2013. Akpom scored a hattrick in a 6–1 FA Youth Cup fourth round demolition of Peterborough United on 6 January 2014.[15]

Brentford (loan)

On 30 December 2013, it was reported that League One sides Brentford, Peterborough United, Leyton Orient and Milton Keynes Dons were in a four-way battle to sign Akpom on loan.[16] Brentford emerged as the favourites to land Akpom, due to club's head of recruitment, Shaun O'Connor, having originally signed Akpom while working for Arsenal.[16] The loan was thrown into doubt due to injuries suffered by Arsenal strikers Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner in early January 2014,[17] but was completed on 9 January, with Akpom signing for a month.[18] Manager Mark Warburton said "Chuba is strong and quick, with a very good first touch. He's greedy and enjoys scoring goals. It's his first loan spell and League One is tough, so he might take some time to adapt. It's a big jump from Under 21 football".[18]

He missed the first match of his loan through illness[19] and Warburton stressed that Akpom would have to "work hard and earn his place like everyone else".[20] Akpom made his debut in a 1–1 league draw at Walsall on 19 January.[13] He came on for Will Grigg after 68 minutes and provided a cross for Clayton Donaldson in the dying moments, which went unconverted.[21] After making four substitute appearances, his loan spell ended and he returned to Arsenal.[22] Following the return to Arsenal, Akpom appeared on Arsenal Magazine about his time at Brentford for the March issue.[23]

Coventry City (loan)

On 14 February 2014, Akpom joined League One side Coventry City on loan until the end of the 2013–14 season, with an agreement that he would rejoin the Arsenal squad for games in the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League during the course of the loan.[24] He made six appearances.[13]

Return to Arsenal

Akpom began the 2014–15 season by scoring a hat trick for Arsenal in an Under-21 Premier League Division 2 game against West Bromwich Albion at the end of August.[25] On 23 September 2014, he made his first senior appearance of the season, replacing Héctor Bellerín for the last four minutes as Arsenal lost 1–2 at home against Southampton in the League Cup.[26] He made his first Premier League appearance of the season against Southampton on New Year's Day 2015.[26] Akpom made a telling contribution to Arsenal's 5–0 home win against Aston Villa, coming on as a second-half substitute and winning a penalty, converted by Santi Cazorla, his first assist for the club.[27] On 4 February 2015, Akpom spurned the interest of a number of other clubs from the Premier League and across Europe to sign a new 4 1/2 year contract with Arsenal.[28][29]

Nottingham Forest (loan)

On 26 March 2015, he joined Championship club Nottingham Forest on loan till 31 May 2015.[30] He made seven appearances.[26]

Hull City (loan)

Akpom (wearing No.19) playing for Hull City on loan, 2015

On 4 August 2015, Akpom joined Championship side Hull City on a season-long loan.[31] Akpom made his debut for the Yorkshire based club on the opening weekend of the 2015–16 season scoring the second goal in a 2–0 home win to Huddersfield Town on 8 August.[32] Akpom made his second appearance from the bench replacing Nikica Jelavic in the 60th minute in the League Cup first round against Accrington Stanley.[32] He scored in the 92nd minute in the first half of extra time and netted a penalty in a 4–3 shootout win for the Tigers.[32] On 30 January 2016 Akpom scored his first senior hat-trick in the FA Cup match away to Bury that Hull won 3–1.[32] He was an unused substitute in the 2016 Championship play-off final at Wembley as Hull beat Sheffield Wednesday to gain promotion to the Premier League.[33]

Brighton (loan)

On 30 January 2017, Akpom joined Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season.[34] He made 10 appearances.[35]

Sint-Truiden (loan)

On 31 January 2018, Akpom joined Belgian First Division A side Sint-Truiden on loan until the end of the season.[36] Akpom scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against Anderlecht on 17 February 2018.[37]

PAOK

On 2 August 2018, Akpom has joined Greek side PAOK Salonika on a three-year deal, bringing to an end a 16-year association with Arsenal. [38] On 25 August 2018, he made his debut with the club as a substitute in a 1-0 home win game against Asteras Tripoli. [39]

International career

On 15 February 2011 Akpom made his debut for England U16s in a friendly match against Slovenia, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[40] He second and final game for the U16s came in a 3–0 2010/11 Victory Shield win over Northern Ireland on 23 March 2011.[41] On 2 August 2011 Akpom made his U17 debut, scoring once in 4–0 win over the Faroe Islands.[42] He played in all six games and scored two goals during England's unsuccessful 2012 European U17 Championship qualifying campaign. He made 13 appearances in total for the U17s and scored five goals.[41] On 6 September 2012 Akpom made his England U19 debut in a 3–1 defeat to Germany.[43] He scored his first goal for the U19s on 26 September 2012, in a 3–0 2013 European U19 Championship qualifying win over Estonia.[44] Two days later, he scored two goals in a 6–0 win over the Faroe Islands. He played in five of England's six 2013 European U19 Championship qualifying and elite stage games and scored three goals, as England failed to qualify for the finals.

On 11 October 2014, Akpom scored his first goals for England U20 coming on as a 87th-minute substitute to score a brace against Netherlands U20 in a 3–2 victory.[45] On 13 October 2015, Akpom made his England U21 debut playing 90 minutes and scoring with the last kick of the match in a European qualifying win over Kazakhstan.[46] He scored again for the England U21 team in a UEFA Euro Under-21 Qualifier against Switzerland. England U21 won the match 3–1, with Akpom scoring in the injury time of the second half.[47]

Akpom, who is of Nigerian descent, is still eligible to represent Nigeria. In May 2016, it was reported that he was one of three players formally approached by the Nigeria Football Federation.[48]

Akpom has recently been selected for the England under 21s for the Three Lion's UEFA European Championship qualifier against Norway on Tuesday 6 September 2016.[49]

On 28 March 2017, Akpom was reportedly close to switching to Nigeria alongside Ola Aina of Chelsea after discussions with Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick.[50][51]

Career statistics

As of match played 25 May 2018
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps GoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2012–13[52] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2013–14[13]100010 0 0— 20
2014–15[26]303010 0 00070
2016–17[35]000010 0 0— 10
2017–18[37]001010 0 00020
Total 404040 0 000120
Brentford (loan) 2013–14[13] League One40— — — — 40
Coventry City (loan) 2013–14[13] League One60— — — — 60
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2014–15[26] Championship70— — — — 70
Hull City (loan) 2015–16[32] Championship3631341 — 1[lower-alpha 1]0427
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2016–17[35] Championship100— — — — 100
Sint-Truiden (loan) 2017–18[37] Belgian First Division A166— — — — 166
PAOK 2018–19 Super League10 0 0 — 0 0 — 10
Career totals 849538100109813
  1. ↑ Appearance in Football League Championship play-offs.

Honours

Hull City

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/10/2012 and 31/10/2012". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Chuba Akpom". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Young Guns: Chuba Akpom". Arsenal F.C. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Player profile Chuba Akpom". ESPN FC. ESPN. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Chuba Akpom 'set for Arsenal exit' as striker closes in on £2m switch to PAOK". Mirror. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Ahead of the curve". Arsenal F.C. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Chuba Akpom signs first professional contract". Arsenal F.C. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Akpom, Ansah and Monteiro in Arsenal squad". Arsenal F.C. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Akpom – Tour has left me wanting more". Arsenal F.C. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Indonesia Dream Team 0 – 7 Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "Vietnam 1 – 7 Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Akpom goal sees Gunners to victory". ESPN FC. ESPN. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2013/2014 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. ↑ "Sunderland 1 – 3 Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Peterborough United Youth Academy 1 – 6 Arsenal Youth Academy". Arsenal F.C. 6 January 2014.
  16. 1 2 Murtagh, Jacob (30 December 2013). "Brentford line up loan swoop for Arsenal striker". Get West London.
  17. ↑ Murtagh, Jacob (7 January 2014). "Brentford's bid to sign Arsenal striker in doubt after Walcott injury". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  18. 1 2 "Brentford confirm Akpom deal". Get West London. 9 January 2014.
  19. ↑ Chuba Akpom [@cakpom9] (11 January 2014). "Chuba Akpom misses match against Port Vale due to injury" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 September 2014 – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "Brentford boss fires warning to Arsenal striker". Get West London. 17 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Record attempt ends but Brentford earn a point". Get West London. 18 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "CHUBA AKPOM RETURNS TO ARSENAL". Brentford F.C. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "CHUBA AKPOM WRITES FOR ARSENAL MAGAZINE". Brentford F.C. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  24. ↑ "Coventry seal Akpom loan from Arsenal". Coventry City FC. 14 February 2014.
  25. ↑ "Barclays U21s: Akpom hat-trick keeps Arsenal flying high". premierleague.com/. The Premier League. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2014/2015 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "Arsenal 5–0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "Chuba Akpom: Arsenal striker signs new contract with club". BBC.co.uk.
  29. ↑ "Arsenal starlet Chuba Akpom agrees four-and-a-half year extension, shunning Liverpool and Dortmund interest". Daily Mirror.co.uk.
  30. ↑ "Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Arsenal's Chuba Akpom on loan until 31 Ma". Nottingham Forest. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Tigers Sign Akpom On Season-Long Loan From Arsenal". Hull City A.F.C. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2015/2016 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  33. 1 2 "Chuba Akpom Player Profile – ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  34. ↑ "Chuba Akpom: Arsenal forward joins Brighton & Hove Albion on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  35. 1 2 3 "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2016/2017 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "Chuba Akpom joins Sint-Truiden on loan from Arsenal". Goal.com. Goal.com. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  37. 1 2 3 "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2017/2018 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  38. ↑ "Επίσημο: Παίκτης του ΠΑΟΚ ο Ακπόμ". www.to10.gr. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  39. ↑ "ΠΑΟΚ - Αστέρας Τρίπολης 1-0". www.gazzetta.gr. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  40. ↑ "Stalemate in Slovenia". The Football Association. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  41. 1 2 "Chuba Akpom". The Football Association. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  42. ↑ "Faroes hit for four". The Football Association. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  43. ↑ "Young Lions lose season opener". The Football Association. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  44. ↑ "Jordi gets England started". The Football Association. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  45. ↑ "Super sub Akpom nets twice as U20s stun Holland". The Football Association. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  46. ↑ "Hull City's Chuba Akpom caps England U21s debut with late goal". Hull Daily Mail. 13 October 2015. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  47. ↑ "England 3–1 Switzerland". UEFA. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  48. ↑ Oluwashina Okeleji (9 May 2016). "Coachless Nigeria chase trio of European players". BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  49. ↑ "Arsenal's Chuba Akpom called up to England Under-21s squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  50. ↑ Oludare, Shina (28 March 2017). "Chelsea's Ola Aina, Brighton and Hove Albion's Chuba Akpom pledge allegiance to Nigeria". Goal Nigeria.
  51. ↑ "Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom set to snub England for Nigeria". The Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  52. ↑ "Chuba Akpom | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2012/2013 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
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