Chuba Akpom: Another Loan Looms?

         Statistics have it that two out of all clubs promoted to the Premier League get relegated back to the English Championship. Last season, the three clubs promoted got relegated, while in this ending season only one promoted would be relegated. Mindful of this statistics, plus the fact the last time Ipswich Town got promotion to the English top tier, they went down the following season. However, the Tractor Boys have made permanent the services of Super Eagles forward, Chuba Akpom based on the clause in the loan deal with Ajax which stipulated that should Ipswich secured promotion it would be made permanent. However, for ‘affliction not to arise again’ they will be needing more than a two-goal in 20 appearances striker in their fold which may signal another loan spell for Akpom or can the Nigerian carry the huge responsibility of help in  keeping Ipswich afloat by proving how much of a fighter he is?

Super Eagles Striker, Chuba Akpom during the week officially joined Ipswich Town on a permanent deal after the Tractor Boys sealed promotion to the Premier League. This was after initially signing on loan from Ajax with the option for the English side to make it a permanent deal if they gained promotion. with Ajax being paid £8 million in the process.

Ipswich Town were promoted to the Premier League after beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0, thus pipping Millwall and Southampton to a second-place finish in the Championship.

Akpom committed his future to Portman Road Stadium until June 2029,  bringing an end to his three-year association with Ajax, the club he joined from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023.

During his loan spell in the Championship, the Nigerian-born striker made 30 league appearances for Kieran McKenna’s side, finding the net twice.

While his goal return was modest, his experience and hold-up play were valued components of the squad that secured back-to-back promotions.

Akpom originally arrived at Ajax in 2023 following a sensational 28-goal season at Middlesbrough, but struggled to replicate that prolific form in the Eredivisie.

The move to Ipswich has offered him a fresh start in English football, and he will now have the opportunity to test himself in the Premier League next season.

In their quest for a return to the Premier League, Akpom made a total of 31 appearances throughout the campaign, with goals against Hull City and Oxford United coming in vital victories to help the Tractor Boys secure promotion.

“Ipswich Town can confirm Chuba Akpom will join the Blues on a permanent deal,” the club said in a statement.

“The forward, 30, moved to Portman Road on loan from Ajax in the summer of 2025, with a permanent move subsequently triggered during the course of the 2025/26 season.

“The permanent deal for Chuba, which runs until 2029, will come into effect from July 1.”

Ipswich had last been in the Premier League in 2024/25 — their first season back in the top flight after a 22-year absence.

However, following relegation with just 22 points and four wins in the top flight, the squad underwent a rebuild,  with a number of key players from the promotion push two seasons ago departing.

Akpom will now be among the players tasked with helping to re-establish the club’s status in the Premier League.

Ipswich can now fully begin their preparations for life back in the Premier League after sealing automatic promotion on the final day of the regular Championship season.

A third promotion in four years was emphatically rubber-stamped with a 3-0 victory over mid-table Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road courtesy of goals from George Hirst, Jaden Philogene and Kasey McAteer, and now the hard work is set to begin in terms of attracting a higher calibre of players to the Suffolk club as they look to consolidate their position back in the Premier League.

Last season, Ipswich were relegated comprehensively alongside Leicester City and Southampton despite the standout season of current Chelsea forward, Liam Delap, in particular, in front of goal.

However, whilst they have ended the current season as the third-highest scorers in the Championship with 80 strikes from 46 games, relying on a clinical centre-forward has been a problem for McKenna at times, even though the aforementioned Hirst ended the campaign on double-figures.

They have also been presented with a dilemma through a reported agreement with Dutch giants, Ajax, which meant that Akpom’s loan deal from the Johan Cruyff Arena was to be turned permanent for £7m in the event of promotion.

But, it’s fair to say that the 30-year-old hasn’t hit it off for the Blues, and Football League World’s Ipswich Town fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, believes he may be moved on rather quickly.

“Just three seasons ago, the former Arsenal man won the Championship’s Golden Boot after hitting the back of the net 28 times in 38 regular season outings for Middlesbrough, before enduring mixed fortunes in Amsterdam.

Indeed, the aforementioned £7m deal was obligatory, meaning it is set to come out of Ipswich’s coffers as a result of their on-pitch success, even though Akpom has only scored twice in 30 league appearances, with none of those coming from the starting lineup since New Year’s Day.

As such, Wilkin believes a potential scenario could be that Ipswich loan out the forward in the upcoming summer window.

“Akpom’s had a strange career, and I think this loan move has been just another weird step,” he told FLW.

“Whether Birmingham would be in for him, considering we stole him from under their noses, that could be an option.

“He’s not really been given the opportunities this season, and when he has, he’s not overly delivered,” Wilkin added.

“He’s scored a couple of goals, and then he’s had injuries, so I don’t think he’s one of those I see coming in and being a Premier League player.

“I’m not sure what the terms of the deal are. But, if it’s a long-term deal, maybe you would look to loan him out next season and see whether you’re in the Premier League or Championship the season after and go from there and hope he has a good season to get his value back up.

As Wilkin alluded to, there was a long-standing transfer saga involving Ipswich and Birmingham for Akpom’s services last August, but the eventual winners of said battle haven’t exactly succeeded overall on this front given a lack of output and minutes.

“Based on current form, it is hard to see how the forward would garner any form of minutes in the Premier League, having been limited to substitute appearances in the second tier, with both of his strikes in the league coming in November and January against Hull City and Oxford United, respectively.

Therefore, a loan move could be the best decision for all involved at this particular moment in order for the Londoner to get his career back on track once more.

The 30-year-old featured four times for Arsenal in the EPL but was unable to establish himself.

Since then, he has had spells at Brentford, Brighton, Hull, and PAOK in Greece before finding his rhythm at Middlesbrough, where he scored 28 goals in 40 Championship games in the 2022/23 season.

He left Middlesbrough for Ajax, netting 11 goals in 25 league games in his first season, but has since struggled to replicate that form.

It, however, remains to be seen if his hold up play would be enough conviction for Ipswich to retain him next season, otherwise his two-goals return in 30 appearances could just be enough reason for the egg heads at Suffolk to send him on another loan spell.