Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick is determined to retain Chuba Akpom amid interest from Premier League trio Crystal Palace, Everton and Southampton, speaking to Sky Sports.
The one-time Arsenal youngster, arguably more than anyone else in Carrick’s squad, epitomises the feel-good factor rippling through the Riverside.
Five of Akpom’s 13 Championship goals have come since Christmas day; overtaking Coventry City talisman Viktor Gyokeres in a Golden Boot race with more contenders than the Grand National.
Akpom feels he is playing ‘the best football of his career’. It’s hard to disagree. We’re not even in mid-January, and this is already the most prolific campaign of the 27-year-old’s journeyman career.
And with Middlesbrough going from relegation candidates to promotion dark horses in a matter of weeks under Carrick, the Manchester United legend is already counting down the minutes until the transfer deadline as interest in Akpom rises.
Southampton, West Ham and Everton like Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom
“When you’re playing well as a team, then people look from outside trying to make their squads better. (Interest in Akpom is) the nature of the beast,” accepts Carrick, who’s won seven out of ten games since replacing Chris Wilder.
“We obviously don’t want to lose our best players at all. We feel like we’re going in the right direction. So that’s football. Everyone’s trying to improve. (That is) exactly what we’re trying to do ourselves.”
According to the Daily Mail, goal-shy Crystal Palace and Everton are keeping tabs on London-born Akpom, who had loan spells at Nottingham Forest, Hull City and Brighton while still an Arsenal player.
TEAMtalk, meanwhile, believe that Southampton are at the front of the queue as things stand. The Saints are under serious pressure to bring in some much-needed January additions; Nathan Jones’ side booed off following Wednesday’s hapless home defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at a mutinous St Mary’s.
Southampton are also in talks with Carlos Alcaraz, Terem Moffi and Nicolas Jackson. They are closing in on Dinamo Zagreb talisman Mislav Orsic too.
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