Middlesbrough: Chuba Akpom issues 2023 Saudi Arabia transfer claim after 29-goal season | OneFootball

Akpom left the Riverside Stadium after a standout campaign under the tutelage of Michael Carrick - but he could've gone somewhere other than Ajax

Chuba Akpom has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join a club in Saudi Arabia before he left Middlesbrough for Ajax in 2023.

It was a tough pill for Boro to swallow when they let the former Arsenal man leave to advance his career at a higher level. Teesside provided him with his first bit of sustained on-pitch success since leaving north London, with then-boss Michael Carrick being influential in his rise.

Akpom was the driving force behind Boro in that 2022/23 campaign. He registered 29 goals in all competitions that year in what was a breakout campaign for the former England youth international, but was unable to push them over the edge in the play-offs, where they lost to Coventry City in the semi-final.

Having hoped to convince him to stay, Boro were ultimately unable to, and he was bought by the Dutch giants in a deal worth up to just over £12 million.

Chuba Akpom reveals Saudi Arabia transfer option while with Middlesbrough

Ajax wasn't his only option, as the 29-year-old has since revealed.

He actually turned down the mega bucks of the Middle East in order to jump the channel and join the Amsterdam side. His motivations, as revealed by the player himself, were family over money.

"Before I signed for Ajax, I had an offer from Saudi," Akpom said on a Twitch stream with Kaysosa.

"Swear down, I didn’t sleep for five days! It’s different though, when you hear interest is one thing, when you see it in writing on paper… you start feeling things in your body. Everything starts itching!

"Me and my girl, we were sitting in bed breaking it down. I don’t know if you’ve had this before, but, like, when you’re about to get a certain amount of money, but you haven’t got it yet, but you’re already spending it in your head! We’re breaking it down and thinking of all the things we could get.

"I’m thinking, ‘wow, if this cheque clears…’. But then, I re-evaluated things. Ajax is such a top club. Obviously the bread [money] is still nice as well. I’m staying in Europe - Amsterdam, an amazing city - closer to my family...

"Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I’m not one of those guys who has money and then says ‘money isn’t important’. Money is important, but family is more important for sure.

"I was close to signing for another side and then Ajax came in. I got the call from my agent and straight away I said: "Pause with the other club, let’s talk to Ajax".

"That’s a historical club, and amazing club, sold out every game. The fans are unbelievable. So yeah, we made that happen."

Middlesbrough made the right call when selling Chuba Akpom - they've continued to receive the benefits of it

It was in Boro's best interests to offload Akpom when they did.

The money they made from him, as much as how well it was spent can be debated, was worth it given the risk of his contract situation, having had just a year left on his deal.

After a season like the one he had, they needed to capitalise on it one way or the other - either by winning promotion or making the most money possible from a sale.

They didn't achieve their Premier League hopes, and so the logical option, when it became clear that Akpom was looking to get away, was to cash in while they could.

Money that Boro were set to receive from Akpom's sale went to be re-invested in Emmanuel Latte Lath, and we know how well Boro did out of that particular deal financially after he went to Atlanta United, so Boro were still feeling the positive after-effects of Akpom's one massive season for the club long after he'd played his final game.