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Should Arsenal be Getting Excited About Chuba Akpom Yet?
By Josh Sippie
In case you have not heard, Chuba Akpom netted a hat trick against the Singapore Select XI on Tuesday the 14th and it is almost impossible to stave off the reports that he is all the striker reinforcement that Arsenal need and that he is the next big thing and all that jazz.
But, keeping in mind that it was not the toughest of opponents, is it time for us to get hyped over the 19-year old striker just yet?
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I will admit, it is hard not to be excited. I had Chuba Akpom’s brilliance as the No. 1 takeaway from the match. The Daily Mail, however, is smart to remind us that we need to temper our excitement a little. Two years ago Akpom scored four times on tour with Arsenal, so while this hat trick should be and is special, it should not come as a shock or as breaking news.
Chuba Akpom still has a lot to prove. He made several first team appearances for Arsenal and did not look terrible. He drew a penalty and showed decent technical ability and pace as well. But a loan spell to Nottingham Forest proved futile and Arsene Wenger has elected to keep the youngster at Arsenal this season.
With just Olivier Giroud at striker and question marks surrounding where Theo Walcott will be used and how effective Danny Welbeck will be, Chuba Akpom could find that he is needed sooner rather than later for the Gunners. Given what Hector Bellerin was able to do last year, I have a lot of confidence that Chuba Akpom can make a lot of headway in the Gunners first-team this year and prove that he is not going to turn out like Yaya Sanogo has.
Arsene Wenger spoke about Akpom after the hat trick, telling SkySports:
"“I know he has potential, he has an aggressive desire in the box. He can brush people away, he has an intense desire to score. I believe this is an encouragement to him to work even harder and to show he can play in the first team. I believe he can, and after that it is down to the players. I see in him something I found interesting last year. He went out on loan, he learnt what it is to play when you need to win games.”"
Turning that potential into first team consistency is a tough ordeal, but Chuba Akpom has the faith of the boss, and that is saying something. It is also saying something that Wenger wants to keep Akpom with the team this year. Clearly his words are not empty.
Akpom himself commented on the hat trick as well, telling Arsenal Player:
"“I’ve been at Arsenal since I was six years old, so that’s a few years and I really want to stay here. This season could be a big season for me and with a lot of hard work it could be a breakthrough season for me. The main thing is to stay here and I think the loans have helped me gain experience. I’m just getting better every time.”"
Akpom has that added help of being Arsenal through and through. Just like Jack Wilshere, he not only wants to succeed individually, he wants to succeed with this particular team, his team. “Most importantly I’m buzzing for the win,” he said with his hat trick behind him.
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Arsenal are still linked to a host of strikers including Karim Benzema and Alexandre Lacazette, but a lot of what Arsene Wenger does in the transfer window could conceivably come down to how Chuba Akpom handles himself going into the season. If he shows that he is ready to up his game to first-team quality, why waste money on another striker when it could hinder this bright prospect’s chances?
This is a big year for Chuba Akpom and he knows it. He may only be 19 years old but Arsenal are getting increasingly competitive and youngsters like him may not have the same amount of opportunities that they used to have. He needs to capitalize on the ones that he is given or he may find himself riding the perennial loan train until he is 25.
Next: Arsenal Summer Profiles: The Untouchables