Like Calvin Bassey, Chuba Akpom set to leave Ajax after one season with two Premier League clubs linked

Chuba Akpom joined Ajax last summer from Middlesbrough on a five-year deal. The transfer fees were worth €12.3m, potentially rising to €14.3m with add-ons.

Ajax and Nigeria-eligible striker, Chuba Amechi Akpom is unhappy with the club at the heart of Netherlands’s capital city and is keen to return to England, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 28-year-old joined the four-time UEFA Champions League winners last summer in a deal that could end up costing €14.3m. His contract runs till the summer of 2028, but after just eight months with De Joden, Akpom wants to try his feet elsewhere.

Ajax have been disappointing in the Dutch Eredivisie this season, as they’re currently 5th in the league. Their position doesn’t justify how poorly they’ve played, as they’re 33 points behind the league leaders, PSV Eindhoven.

Akpom was optimistic at the start of the season, but the former Brighton man has been limited to just five league starts, playing 749 minutes of league football in total.

As per Sportswitness UK, the Hale End Academy Graduate is looking to leave Ajax in the summer, with a return to England as his preference. Marco Silva’s Fulham and Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest are also interested in the striker’s services.

Despite starting a few games, the former Hull City man has had a hand in ten goals for the Eredivisie record Champions, scoring nine, and creating one.

Akpom’s woes are similar to the fate suffered by Calvin Bassey during his time at the Dutch club. Ajax splashed £23m to get Bassey from Rangers, but his performances weren’t great, and after a season, he was shipped to Fulham for €21m with Ajax taking a loss.

Under Marco Silva, Bassey has asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the league, forming a decent partnership with Tosin Adarabioyo in the Cottagers backline.

With Bassey’s rejuvenation evident, Akpom will likely follow in his footsteps. However, he’ll have to compete with Rodrigo Muniz for playing time.

This post was last modified on April 17, 2024 3:49 pm

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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