The Arsenal loanee recently scored his first goal in Belgian football.
Sint-Truiden assistant boss Chris O’Loughlin has been singing the praises of Arsenal loanee Chuba Akpom, and his urged him to follow in the footsteps of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
The Irishman was speaking to Het Belang van Limburg, as relayed by Voetbal Primeur, when he mentioned how important loan moves are for English players and highlighted Kane, who had spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City, as a prime example:
“Loans are for young English players the most normal thing in the world, it is the best way for them to gain experience, with ups and downs, Tottenham striker Harry Kane is the best example of this.”
Akpom, once considered a massive prospect at Arsenal, has struggled to make a name for himself at the club after loan spells with Brentford, Coventry, Nottingham forest, Hull and Brighton.
Since joining the Belgian side he has been in good form and scored his first goal at the weekend in a 1-0 win against Belgian giants Anderlecht.
O’Loughlin made it clear that he was impressed with the Arsenal star’s performances in Belgium and highlighted another Premier League player when suggesting how good performances in the Jupiler League can translate to the Premier League:
“Unfortunately, unfortunately, the Belgian league is often underestimated in England, because they do not know us as well as Germany, but it is not only De Bruyne and Hazard who have the good fortune to make it in England.
“We have demonstrated to Akpom the fine example of (Wilfred) Ndidi, who made the direct step from the Jupiler Pro League to Leicester City and digested it well, a step that many more players could put in. Ndidi is just one.”
The Nigerian midfielder has indeed been in excellent form for Leicester City since making his move from Gent and has been linked with a big-money move to Liverpool in the summer as a consequence.
Akpom, who has played 12 times for Arsenal since making his debut in 2014, has not yet scored for the club and his contract with the Gunners runs out in 2019. With the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signing, not to mention the emergence of Edward Nketiah, Akpom has a big challenge on his hands making it into the Arsenal first-team.
Once it was considered possible he could be the club’s next Ian Wright, or indeed their own homegrown hero like Harry Kane at their North London rivals, but it seems that is not a likely probability at this moment.
But if he can continue to impress in Belgium, he will have one year left on his contract at Arsenal to prove himself.
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