Given that this was the campaign in which he was officially promoted to the first-team squad and that he also featured in the Premier League, Chuba Akpom will most probably look back upon the 2014/15 season with immense satisfaction.
He may feel a sense of disappointment, however, when he recalls his frustrating loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he failed to score in seven games for the Championship side.
With that loan stint now over Akpom has returned to Arsenal and has been training with the first-team squad in recent weeks. Yesterday he emerged off the bench to score an impressive goal as England U20s drew with Morocco in the Toulon Tournament, emphasising that his finishing qualities are still very much intact, despite his failure to find the net for Forest.
Therein lies the problem for Akpom, though. The striker has scored with impressive regularity at youth level for both club and country but has yet to translate that onto the first-team stage. Indeed he has now made 26 senior appearances (also taking into account his loan spells at Coventry City and Brentford last season) without scoring a single goal.
It is important not to emphasise that point too much. Akpom is, after all, still only 19 years old and he has plenty of time on his side with regards to making the breakthrough having signed a new, long-term contract with the club earlier in the campaign.
However, if somebody such as Benik Afobe, who has enjoyed a stellar campaign in League One and the Championship, cannot break into the Arsenal first-team, then Akpom will be fully aware of just how high the bar is for a young striker at this club.
Akpom has much going for him. He is skilful, strong and, as a consequence of his loan spells, increasingly tactically aware. He can, though, struggle a little when deployed as a lone striker in senior matches and tends to perform better with a strike partner alongside him.
For several years Afobe looked as if he was going to be the player to end the very long wait for an Academy striker to establish himself as the primary centre-forward for the first-team. That didn’t materialise so now the focus is on Akpom.
Akpom will most probably head out on loan once again next season, possibly to another Championship club. His three loan spells to date have all been short, but he hasn’t really shone in any of them and next campaign he will hope to put that right by proving that he is capable of adapting to senior football.
He is a player of much talent and, as he has progressed through the ranks, he has often been Arsenal’s standout performer in youth matches in recent seasons. Now, though, Akpom will be hoping to make the considerably difficult transition from youth player to senior player.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
Great finish last night. I have high hopes for Akpom. I would add that at Forest the whole team played like shit while he was there and the system they played didn’t play to his strengths at all. He would of benefited with balls to run on to than being constantly played to feet, although if he is going to become a top striker then that is something he’s going to have to adapt to.
are you in way related to the author of this article? wait. dont answer that…
Hope he makes it at Arsenal, has looked quite promising whenever he’s come on as a sub.
Really surprised he hasn’t scored a single goal in all those senior appearances (including loans).
I hope Akpom is deployed in wings as an “inside forward” in his next loan spell. This reduces the pressure on him to score and also gives a chance for him to learn the importance of space like rvp,ramsey, wilshere,etc.. learnt during their spells on the wings. Given that there will be another striker to support him would definitely help him flourish as well.
While I certainly don’t want to question Wenger or bash our players, I feel that Akpom has more potential than Sanogo. I mean just look at Afobe now, playing pretty well even if it is the second tier. Either way it’s up to him to prove it.
Also I’ll admit it, I can’t get enough of Arsenal! COYG make us goddamn proud
Afobe could turn out to be a top top striker.
I still feel we should’ve given Afobe more of a chance, especially when you consider injuries on top of the transition to true first team level of football, it took longer for him to career over his potential. Made even worse for the fact that one of the reasons he was let go was because we already had Sanogo. He was barely given the chance whilst Sanogo was just handed a first team spot. Been one of the top English strikers in the country this season, and looks like he will make the transition to PL certainly. Time will tell… Read more »
Maybe he should be loaned to a League One club, and then a Championship one afterwards.
If Sanogo can get a chance then Akpom should without a doubt
Sending out on loan to lower divisions will get him regular games but I doubt if he will improve to a level to play in our first team the following year. His breakthrough to the 1st team will be demoted by playing at an inferior level. I feel he has lots of potential and it would be more beneficial to him to stay and fight his way into our team
Which one of our current and most recent academy players broke through into the first team without first going on loan?
Name me one.
Gnabry
Yes but he only really started some games because we had a horrendous injury list at the time. If he hadn’t been injured at the start of this season then I think he’s probably have gone on loan this season and I’m pretty certain he’ll be loaned out next season unless we lose Theo.
The transition to senior team is harder for some players than others and this does not depend on the amount of talent at youth level. There are many examples in the football world. Gael Kakuta was called an absolute technical genius by anybody who watched him play. He is is still far for reaching the first team with Chelsea. He has been on loan for almost 6 years and will probably never play for them. Hope Akpom manage to become the next Thierry Henry. It is still possible. Up to him to win Capital One games for us and play… Read more »
If anyone’s interested found this compilation of Akpoms performance from the bench against Morocco, incl. Goal. http://youtu.be/oyahK5RrUuY
Afobe didn’t make it because he was hardly given a chance. I will never understand Why sanogo was played so much. Even when Afobe was fit. Honestly it’ll take me a while to forgive wenger for this.
I waited so long to see Afobe given a fair chance but Sanogo constantly got picked.
Please who honestly sees what wenger sees in sanogo. I’m struggling
Think Sanogo will be sold to a French league club at one point. Not playing at Crystal Palace may be the straw that broke the chamel back.
If Afobe doesn’t get a chance after doing so well for Huddersfield and Wolves I don’t see what a Championship loan will do for Akpom. Granted he’s young and so if he can get 10-15 goals in the Championship at 19 you’d expect him to take the step up in 2-3 years with Arsenal.
Meanwhile we all want a better striker than Giroud and Welbeck next season… the bar is soooo high poor kid…
You don’t seem to appreciate that we sold Afobe to Wolves so he won’t ‘get a chance’ with us.
Problem is that Arsenal can only give chances to youngsters in carling cup or preseason. The pressure is enormous in other competititions where top club such as Arsenal cant afford to be giving promising players chances and hoping that 3-5 games will do the charm. Especially up front where we have to bag shitloads of goals
What you do is buy Ronaldo to play out wide on the left then it doesn’t matter if your striker scores a goal all season.
Or you go two or three goals up and give him minutes towards the end of games and gradually increase them.
He’s better than that french bloke
@cyan but why was Sanogo played?
If you remember, we had a crippling injury list at the time. Sanogo wouldn’t have started any games if we’d had a full 1st 11 (although he may have come off the bench…
Send him to Charlton.
Charlton transformed both Alex Song and Coquelin, why not Akpom?
It’ll keep him in London close to his support network and not far from London Colney.
I think Sanogo is too messy a player to succeed at Arsenal, but to be fair he put in some useful performances for us last season in big games (e.g. Bayern in the Champions League, Liverpool and Hull in the cup).
I fully understand your point about him being messy but he is still rather young. I think he’ll have to make the step up in quality and consistency (and start scoring) next season whether he’s with us or loaned out or else he’ll be moved on next summer. In the same way Drogba had days when he was unstoppable, Sanogo has that potential, but if it doesn’t happen soon then he could fall under the title of nearly men like heskey. Akpom is a different type of striker. He looks big for a youth player but he’s not as physically… Read more »
Will likely push for a position with Gnabry. Has good strength and frame and eager to proof himself.
Hey Akpom is not actually that fast??? His 40 time last year was second only to Bellerin’s. better than Walcott. Also Afobe, like so many British youngsters, was not given as much of a chance because of “Off the field” considerations.
Having seen defenders catch him very quickly I don’t believe he’s particularly quick (and don’t believe he was 2nd quickest over 40 -over 15 maybe). His first few steps are excellent (expecially for a 6 ft lad) but as soon as a defender gets into his stride, he’s closed down.