• Born in London, Chuba Akpom joined the Arsenal academy when he was six

• Akpom made 12 appearances for Arsenal across his career

• Akpom won EFL Championship Player of the Season with Middlesbrough in 2022-23

Akshat Mehrish Chuba Akpom had paid his dues. Waiting eagerly for his chance, the youngster sat on the bench, waiting for the fourth official’s board to reflect his number on September 14, 2013, in a home game against Sunderland. As he waited, Akpom reflected on the long and arduous road he took to get where he was: born in London, the youngster had joined the Arsenal academy at six, made the under-18s when he was 15, and signed a professional contract two years later. In December 2012, Chuba Akpom made the Arsenal senior squad for the first time, two months after penning down his future, for a UEFA Champions League tie, which he would watch play out without ever leaving the bench.

On September 14, nine months later, the board did flash his number. With mere minutes remaining in what was heading toward a routine 3-1 win for Arsenal, Akpom rose from the dugout and replaced Olivier Giroud on the pitch, marking his debut for the Gunners - a debut that had been 11 years in the making. Ready to tackle senior football yet blocked by the talent in the senior team, Arsenal thought it best to release Chuba Akpom temporarily for him to gain the requisite experience and minutes. The youngster signed for Brentford on loan in 2014, hoping to get a regular taste of top-level football. However, what was meant to be a pathway into the first team at Arsenal never materialised; Akpom went on six loan spells between 2014 and 2018, the last of those in Belgium, having exhausted his options in England before deciding to bring the curtains down on his Arsenal career for good. In August 2018, Akpom left Arsenal, ending a 16-year association, for a little less than a million euros for Greek outfit PAOK Salonika. During his time with the Gunners, the England youth international made 12 appearances and scored no goals. Chuba Akpom was far from a prolific forward during his two-year stint in Greece. He was, crucially, a regular starter and a key contributor in PAOK’s league and cup double in 2018/19, his first season with the club. Overall, the Arsenal graduate made 79 appearances with PAOK and scored 18 goals, enough to pave a path for a return to England with Championship outfit Middlesbrough.

Around the same time, Akpom also declared his intention to represent Nigeria internationally, despite his previous links with England youth. The London-born forward had made 44 appearances from the under-16s up to the under-21s, contributing with goals regularly, yet opened the door for a future career with Nigeria, claiming he was still in touch with his Nigerian roots. Akpom awaits his first call-up to the Nigeria national team at the time of writing, partly because his lacklustre form after his transfer to Middlesbrough failed to turn heads at the association towards his talents. Chuba Akpom scored just five goals in his first season at the club - before returning to PAOK on a year-long loan deal - and continued his dire form at the start of the 2022-23 season, back at Boro. The forward, like Middlesbrough, struggled to get going during the initial months of the 2022-23 campaign. He had scored just four times when October came around, with Boro struggling to steer clear of the relegation pit. That, however, changed after the arrival of Michael Carrick; the Manchester United great revitalised the struggling team with his fresh approach and breathed new life into Akpom.

Akpom, who had scored 12 times in 114 appearances for Middlesbrough when Carrick arrived, scored 25 more until the end of the season, winning the EFL Championship Golden Boot. Boro eventually fell short of promotion in the playoff semi-finals, but Akpom returned home with the competition’s Player of the Season honour, completing a remarkable turnaround. His redemption complete, Akpom left Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023, completing a remarkable move to AFC Ajax, a club ever-present in the highest halls of European football. Taking the number ten shirt left behind by Dusan Tadic, Akpom is already dreaming of the glorious nights that await him and his new teammates.