english association football musician ( hold 1995 )

Chuba Amechi Akpom ( natural 9 October 1995 ) is an english professional football player who plays as a hitter for greek Super League club PAOK on loan from Middlesbrough. [ 5 ] He has represented England at youth and U-21 international levels but is besides eligible to represent Nigeria .

Club career [edit ]

arsenal [edit ]

Akpom joined Arsenal at the long time of six. [ 6 ] [ 3 ] He made his debut for the Arsenal U18 side at the age of 15, and signed his beginning professional contract with Arsenal on 10 October 2012, a day after turning 17. [ 3 ] [ 7 ] In December 2012, Akpom received his first call into the Arsenal aged team, when he was an unused substitute for a 2–1 Champions League kill to Olympiakos. [ 8 ] He made 20 U21 Premier League appearances during the 2012–13 season and scored 13 goals, including 10 goals in 10 games in the Elite Group stage. In the lead-up to the 2013–14 season, Akpom was selected for Arsenal ‘s pre-season tour of Asia and scored once in a 7–0 acquire against an Indonesia Dream Team, two more in a 7–1 acquire against Vietnam [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] and another in Arsenal ‘s final game of the tour against Urawa Red Diamonds. [ 12 ] Akpom made his competitive debut in a 3–1 Premier League gain over Sunderland on 14 September 2013. [ 13 ] He came on in the third moment of wound fourth dimension as a stand-in for the injure Olivier Giroud. [ 14 ] Akpom ‘s second Arsenal appearance came in a League Cup third round tie aside to West Bromwich Albion on 25 September. [ 13 ] He replaced goalscorer Thomas Eisfeld after 82 minutes and with the scores at 1–1 at full-time, the game entered extra time. [ 13 ] Akpom played the full scoreless extra time menstruation and scored Arsenal ‘s third base penalty in the ensuing gunfight, helping Arsenal to a gain. [ 13 ] He scored three goals in four UEFA Youth League appearances towards the end of 2013. Akpom scored a hattrick in a 6–1 FA Youth Cup fourth cycle destruction of Peterborough United on 6 January 2014. [ 15 ]

Brentford ( loanword ) [edit ]

On 30 December 2013, it was reported that League One sides Brentford, Peterborough United, Leyton Orient and Milton Keynes Dons were in a four-way struggle to sign Akpom on loanword. [ 16 ] Brentford emerged as the favourites to land Akpom, due to club ‘s read/write head of recruitment, Shaun O’Connor, having primitively signed Akpom while working for Arsenal. [ 16 ] The lend was thrown into doubt due to injuries suffered by Arsenal strikers Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner in early January 2014, [ 17 ] but was completed on 9 January, with Akpom signing for a month. [ 18 ] Manager Mark Warburton said “ Chuba is impregnable and agile, with a very thoroughly first touch. He ‘s avid and enjoys scoring goals. It ‘s his first loan spell and League One is bad, so he might take some fourth dimension to adapt. It ‘s a big startle from Under 21 football ”. [ 18 ] He missed the first pit of his loan through illness [ 19 ] and Warburton stressed that Akpom would have to “ work hard and earn his place like everyone else ”. [ 20 ] Akpom made his debut in a 1–1 league draw at Walsall on 19 January. [ 13 ] He came on for Will Grigg after 68 minutes and provided a cross for Clayton Donaldson in the dying moments, which went unconverted. [ 21 ] After making four ersatz appearances, his lend spell ended and he returned to Arsenal. [ 22 ] Following the come back to Arsenal, Akpom appeared on Arsenal Magazine about his clock time at Brentford for the March write out. [ 23 ]

Coventry City ( loan ) [edit ]

On 14 February 2014, Akpom joined League One english Coventry City on lend until the end of the 2013–14 temper, with an agreement that he would rejoin the Arsenal police squad for games in the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League during the course of the lend. [ 24 ] He made six appearances. [ 13 ]

return to Arsenal [edit ]

Akpom began the 2014–15 season by scoring a hat trick for Arsenal in an Under-21 Premier League Division 2 game against West Bromwich Albion at the end of August. [ 25 ] On 23 September 2014, he made his beginning aged appearance of the season, replacing Héctor Bellerín for the last four minutes as Arsenal lost 1–2 at family against Southampton in the League Cup. [ 26 ] He made his first Premier League appearance of the season against Southampton on New Year ‘s Day 2015. [ 26 ] Akpom made a telling contribution to Arsenal ‘s 5–0 home win against Aston Villa, coming on as a second-half substitute and winning a penalty, converted by Santi Cazorla, his beginning assist for the club. [ 27 ] On 4 February 2015, Akpom spurned the matter to of a count of other clubs from the Premier League and across Europe to sign a new 4+1⁄2-year abridge with Arsenal. [ 28 ] [ 29 ]

Nottingham Forest ( loanword ) [edit ]

On 26 March 2015, he joined Championship club Nottingham Forest on lend cashbox 31 May 2015. [ 30 ] He made seven appearances. [ 26 ]

Hull City ( loanword ) [edit ]

On 4 August 2015, Akpom joined Championship side Hull City on a season-long loan. [ 31 ] Akpom made his debut for the Yorkshire based club on the opening weekend of the 2015–16 season scoring the moment goal in a 2–0 family winnings to Huddersfield Town on 8 August. [ 32 ] Akpom made his second appearance from the bench replacing Nikica Jelavic in the sixtieth minute in the League Cup first gear round against Accrington Stanley. [ 32 ] He scored in the 92nd minute in the first half of supernumerary time and netted a penalty in a 4–3 gunfight gain for the Tigers. [ 32 ] On 30 January 2016 Akpom scored his first elder hat-trick in the FA Cup match away to Bury that Hull won 3–1. [ 32 ] He was an idle utility in the 2016 Championship play-off final at Wembley as Hull exhaust Sheffield Wednesday to gain promotion to the Premier League. [ 33 ]

Brighton ( loanword ) [edit ]

On 30 January 2017, Akpom joined Brighton & Hove Albion on lend until the conclusion of the season. [ 34 ] He made 10 appearances where he helped The Albion profit promotion to the Premier League. [ 35 ]

On 31 January 2018, Akpom joined Belgian First Division A side Sint-Truiden on loanword until the end of the season. [ 36 ] Akpom scored his first base goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against Anderlecht on 17 February 2018. [ 37 ]

PAOK [edit ]

On 2 August 2018, Akpom joined Greek Super League club PAOK Salonika on a three-year deal. [ 38 ] On 25 August, he made his introduction with the clubhouse as a substitute in a 1–0 home gain game against Asteras Tripoli. [ 39 ] On 11 November, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home league win crippled against Panetolikos. [ 40 ] In March 2019 the BBC said that Akpom was a key musician in PAOK ‘s title push button. [ 41 ] He was an fresh substitute on 21 April 2019 when PAOK beat already relegated Levadiakos to confirm their first Super League deed in 34 years. [ 42 ] He scored the entirely goal in PAOK ‘s 2019 greek Cup Final acquire against AEK Athens. [ 43 ] On 6 August 2019, he scored against Ajax in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie that ended as a 2–2 draw. [ 44 ] He scored his first gear goal of the 2019–20 Superleague Greece in a 2–1 home plate win against Panionios on 1 September. [ 45 ] On 1 March 2020, receiving a great pass from Omar El Kaddouri inside the penalty area, Akpom cut to a shoot placement, subsequently whipping an excellent attempt beyond the opposing goalkeeper, to open the score in a frustrating 1–1 away draw against Xanthi F.C. It was his seventh goal for Super League in the most productive year in his career so far. [ 46 ]

Middlesbrough [edit ]

On 19 September 2020, Akpom signed for English club Middlesbrough for a fee of £2.75m. The early Arsenal child joined from PAOK, where he had made a huge impression in the greek Super League. Akpom signed a three-year contract, with the option of a further year. [ 5 ] He scored on his Middlesbrough debut, a 1–1 draw with QPR on 26 September. [ 47 ]

return to PAOK [edit ]

On 26 August 2021, PAOK announced the return of Akpom on loan from Middlesbrough until the end of the 2021–22 temper. [ 48 ]

International career [edit ]

On 15 February 2011, Akpom made his debut for England U16s in a friendly match against Slovenia, which ended in a 0–0 draw. [ 49 ] He second and final game for the U16s came in a 3–0 2010/11 Victory Shield winnings over Northern Ireland on 23 March 2011. [ 50 ] On 2 August 2011, Akpom made his U17 debut, scoring once in 4–0 acquire over the Faroe Islands. [ 51 ] He played in all six games and scored two goals during England ‘s abortive 2012 european U17 Championship qualifying campaign. He made 13 appearances in entire for the U17s, and scored five goals. [ 50 ] On 6 September 2012, Akpom made his England U19 debut in a 3–1 frustration to Germany. [ 52 ] He scored his beginning goal for the U19s on 26 September 2012, in a 3–0 2013 european U19 Championship qualifying win over Estonia. [ 53 ] Two days subsequently, he scored two goals in a 6–0 gain over the Faroe Islands. He played in five of England ‘s six 2013 european U19 Championship qualifying and elect stage games and scored three goals, as England failed to qualify for the finals. On 11 October 2014, Akpom scored his beginning goals for England U20 coming on as an 87th-minute utility to score a pair against Netherlands U20 in a 3–2 victory. [ 54 ] On 13 October 2015, Akpom made his England U21 debut playing 90 minutes and scoring with the last kick of the match in a european qualify gain over Kazakhstan. [ 55 ] He scored again for the England U21 team in a UEFA Euro Under-21 Qualifier against Switzerland. England U21 won the match 3–1, with Akpom scoring in the injury clock of the second base half. [ 56 ] Akpom, who is of nigerian descent, is hush eligible to represent Nigeria. In May 2016, it was reported that he was one of three players formally approached by the Nigeria Football Federation. [ 57 ] Akpom has recently been selected for the England under-21s for the UEFA European Championship qualifier against Norway on Tuesday 6 September 2016. [ 58 ] On 28 March 2017, Akpom was reportedly close to switching to Nigeria aboard Ola Aina of Chelsea after discussions with Nigeria Football Federation president of the united states, Amaju Pinnick. [ 59 ] [ 60 ] In September 2019 he confirmed that he intended to represent Nigeria at International level. [ 61 ]

career statistics [edit ]

As of 22 December 2021[62]

Honours [edit ]

Hull City
Brighton & Hove Albion
PAOK
Individual

  • Greek Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2018–19[69]

References [edit ]

Read more: FIFA 21 Pro Clubs