Share
By: Abiodun Adewale.
Chuba Akpom looks set to be handed the iconic No.10 shirt at Ajax after passing his medical at the Dutch club, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The move will see Akpom join the illustruous list of Ajax players like Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, Aron Winter, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Dusan Tadic among others that donned the No.10 jersey at the Amsterdam Arena.
The Nigeria-eligible player, according to sources in The Netherlands, will sign a five-year contract worth £10.4m.
Ajax Director of Football, Sven Mislintat, knows all about the qualities of Akpom as he was previously Head of Scouting at Arsenal, for whom the Nigerian made 12 first-team appearances in total.
When asked if he sees Akpom as an excellent reinforcement for Ajax, former Dutch star Pierre van Hooijdonk told Studio Voetbal, via Footballtransfers, “Yes. Very big yes. He is big, athletic, fast, two-legged, has a fantastic header, but especially really looks for space behind the defence.
“He is not someone who hangs with his back to the opponent like Brobbey, but he really looks for the through balls. I’ve watched his goals, the quality splashes off.”
Akpom had a fantastic season in 2022/23, scoring 29 goals in 42 games for Michael Carrick’s side.
Middlesbrough finished fourth in the Championship table, sending them to the playoffs, but they lost their two-legged semi-final to Coventry City.
Akpom was named the EFL’s Championship Player of The Season for the 2022/23 campaign, and he also won multiple Player of The Month awards along the way.
By joining Ajax, Akpom may get the chance to play in Europe with his new side if they can win their Europa League qualifier later this month, and they’ll certainly be in the hunt for further domestic trophies.