We have seen young strikers come up through the ranks only to fall by the wayside at the last minute as they did not make the cut to the Arsenal first team. Players like Jay Emmanuel Thomas and, of course, Benik Afobe were destined for great things at Arsenal after shining for the Arsenal youth squads or so we thought. They were sold even before they got a chance to play for the Arsenal first team.
They were not the only ones. Carlos Vela, already part of the first team, struggled to get game time even when he impressed with sumptuous goals in the Carling Cup. He has gone on to forge an outstanding career with Real Sociedad scoring against the likes of Barcelona and becoming an all round better player.
So how good is Chuba Akpom that he can hold a team like Arsenal at ransom and demand playing time? Remember we have only seen glimpses of Akpom in action and he has not done anything special that suggests he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Alexis Sanchez compared Akpom to the great Thierry Henry even going as far as calling him Titi but was that banter or actual admiration?
Teams like Liverpool are waiting to pounce on the striker if he becomes available especially on a free transfer and Akpom knows this. Obviously Wenger has seen something we haven’t otherwise Akpom would have been sold by now but at the moment he is keeping mum on his next move.
For a player to demand more playing time especially when he knows there are so many players ahead of him in the pecking order does not seem right. It will be a mark of disrespect if he goes to a direct rival like Liverpool given the faith that Wenger has shown in him. Let him prove himself then demand more playing time.
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