Has Chuba Akpom's move to Ajax from Middlesbrough gone to plan? | OneFootball

Chuba Akpom's rise at Middlesbrough was one of the EFL stories of the season last term.

Having previously been frozen out by the likes of Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder, he then became a regular first-teamer under the latter with Boro not having a huge number of forward options during the early stages of 2022/23.

And the ex-Arsenal man did well enough to keep his place in the starting lineup, taking his game to the next level under Michael Carrick and proving exactly why he shouldn't have been on the fringes of the Teesside outfit's first team.

It could definitely be argued that he was the key man who guided Boro into the promotion mix at the end of last season, scoring 28 league goals last term which is an excellent record considering he didn't always operate as a striker.

Thriving behind Cameron Archer for a chunk of the campaign and proving to be consistent throughout the season, it was clear that he was going to attract interest in the summer.

And with less than one year left on his contract at the Riverside at the moment, Boro probably had no other option but to sell him, with Eredivisie side Ajax signing him for a deal worth up to £12.2m back in August.

We take a look at whether this move to the Netherlands has gone to plan for Akpom so far.

What was the plan for Chuba Akpom at Ajax?

Without being privy to negotiations, it's difficult to say.

However, you feel Akpom wouldn't have gone to the Dutch side not to play regularly and he will have been aiming to be a regular starter there.

At the same time, he's currently with a Europa League side and that's a big step up to make from a Championship side, even though Boro are a very good team at that level.

Still, he would have been hoping to secure a decent amount of game time during the early stages of his time in Amsterdam, with the Dutch outfit competing in a few competitions this season.

Has Chuba Akpom's move to Ajax gone to plan so far?

Akpom hasn't exactly been one of the first names on the teamsheet this term, starting just one of his five competitive appearances.

However, the fact that he's managed to get a taste of Europa League football has probably made the move worth it and he hasn't been frozen out yet, so that's promising.

There are a few negatives that have to be stated. Firstly, as mentioned, he hasn't started many games so far.

Secondly, he hasn't managed to get himself on the scoresheet which is a shame and as well as this, the team itself haven't been doing well.

They have only won one of their opening six league games, with that victory coming before Akpom's arrival.

And they have drawn both of the Europa League matches he has played in. Still, he will be grateful for getting the chance to play in Europe, hosting Marseille and travelling to Greece to play AEK Athens.