Akpom could play left until until mundle gets back, right for cover if poveda is out, and good enough to start up top on his own or as a good fit alongside Isidor. not many players can say that. Would like him in but expect the link is unlikely at this stage. You never know. Part of me wants it just to see the utter meltdown amongst boro fans over it
I wonder if we have now moved on from his level? Sounds really harsh but when you look at the players we are bringing in now, and how much progress lads like Rigg and Jobe are making. It might feel a bit like after the lord mayors show if he is in a midfield next season.
He scored 15 in 35 last season which shows he can still do it. He has 8 in 30 those aren’t just cup games that’s the europa league qualifiers and the actual competition. He’s not a one season wonder at all imo he’s just starting to peak late which players can do
If Akpom was linked with Leeds or a move back to Boro - would we be saying all this about him maybe being a one season wonder? I think most would be thinking "why aren't we in for him? He scores goals". I'd take him, he's a different option, something we haven't got! Not sure he would cut it in the Premier League though so a loan to buy upon promotion doesn't make sense to me.
Having an experienced head like him in the PL could be quite useful whether he's played in it or not. I think it would be a loan with obligation purely because that's what we seem to be doing and I imagine Ajax wouldn't see the point in loaning him out without a sale at the end. He is still coming off of the bench for them
I get that about it probably having to be the deal we do if we want him, but it's the one thing putting me off. I'd rather it was an option rather than obligation. I just don't think he'd cut it in the Premier League so he'd become deadwood - or end up loaning him back out to the Championship.
Lots of our squad are unproven at the level above. I think adding a little more experience, especially in a player who’s fairly versatile and proven at this level, to this squad is a straight forward decision if the price isn’t wild
I said I was excluding cup competitions (including Europe), but decided to dig a bit deeper into his record after your comment and now I'm even more convinced he was a 1 season wonder. Checked his goals last year in the league, not a single one came against a team in the top 10. Every single goal he scored was against teams struggling in the Dutch league (which isn't very strong, outside of the top 2 or 3 teams). In Europe, he scored against mighty powerhouses of football like Qarabag and Jagiellonia... Yeah. No thanks.
