Most of the time, Boro’s ascent up the Championship table under Michael Carrick’s direction was outstanding, and the team attempted to qualify for the Premier League the previous season. The team qualified for the Championship play-offs by finishing fourth in the standings and winning 22 of their 46 league games.
Middlesbrough finished the season with the second-most goals in the division, behind only Burnley, thus even though they lost in the semi-final, they could still be happy of their efforts.
Chuba Akpom’s goal-scoring ability was a major factor in Middlesbrough’s victory the previous season, although he wasn’t always successful there.
After paying £2.75 million for the striker’s arrival at Riverside Stadium in September 2020, the move appeared to be pointless as Akpom struggled with form.
His English football career had become quite bland after rising through Arsenal’s development system as a teenager, so signing with Boro in 2020 seemed to be his last opportunity for meaningful success in this nation.
In his 38 appearances during his debut season with the team, he only scored five Championship goals, raising numerous concerns about the transfer fee.
He failed to truly take off at Riverside Stadium and left on loan to PAOK in Greece at the end of his debut season. Throughout the 2021–2022 season, Akpom scored 11 goals for the Greek team in an attempt to revive his career.
Before the 2022–2023 Championship season, he returned to the Middlesbrough starting lineup thanks to this form, and he soon found his shooting boots to finally justify that amount.
After a lackluster debut, the former Arsenal player truly blossomed for Middlesbrough the previous year, and he
Akpom scored twice in the league opener against Sheffield United, although he would miss several weeks of action and these would be his only goals in the first two months of the year.
Carrick was named Middlesbrough manager after his return in October, and Akpom blossomed into a prolific goal scorer. With just 35 starts, he would finish the season with an incredible 28 league goals, making him a hero at Riverside Stadium.
Akpom, who had truly made an impression on the season, was scoring goals left and right, whether he was in front of the striker or behind him. Despite my initial concerns, he was well worth every single penny spent on him.
When Dutch powerhouse Ajax called on Boro at the end of the season, Akpom not only helped them turn a profit but also became a regular goal scorer and key member of the team.
With a transaction for £12 million reached between the two teams, Middlesbrough came away with a profit slightly short of £10 million.
All things considered, Middlesbrough’s £2.75 million fee proved to be a brilliant move because it allowed them to develop their squad ahead of this season and recognize the best in Akpom before offloading him for a significant profit.
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