New Blues signing Chuba Akpom is delighted to have completed his season-long loan move to Town from Ajax after what he admits was “a mad few days”.
Akpom has joined the Blues for 2025/26 with the club having an obligation to buy him for £7 million if they are promoted this season. Town are understood to be paying 60 per cent of his Ajax wages during his loan spell.
This time last week, however, it looked like the one-time Arsenal trainee was on his way to Birmingham City with the Midlanders having agreed terms with the Eredivisie giants and a St Andrew’s medical pencilled in.
But Town made a late move, had their offer accepted by the Amsterdam club and Akpom opted for a move to Suffolk instead. His former club Middlesbrough and Olympiacos in Greece also showed interest.
That desire to join Town was illustrated by the forward digging his heels in when Birmingham subsequently tried to negotiate a permanent deal with Ajax, a switch the Dutch club were keen to explore.
However, with the player having made his wishes clear, Birmingham pulled out of the running and after the finer details relating to the switch were tied up and international clearance received, Akpom’s move to Town was finally confirmed yesterday.
"It’s been a mad few days for me, sorting everything out, but I’m glad to be here,” he told TownTV. "The club has massive ambition, the way the team plays, the way the gaffer’s got the boys moving the ball, it seems like a really dedicated team. I’m excited to be here.
"As soon as I spoke to the coach, he showed me how he wanted me to play and stuff like that, and it just made perfect sense.”
Akpom doesn’t know too many players in the current Town dressing room, but before he made his decision, he spoke to former Blues skipper and his one-time Middlesbrough teammate Sam Morsy, who recently left Portman Road for Kuwait SC.
"When I landed at the airport, I had a quick call with him and he said nothing but positive things,” the 29-year-old said. "He was saying that he thinks the coach can help me improve as a player, that I can learn a lot.
"He said the boys are good to be around and said that it would suit me a lot coming here. Everything that I wanted to here, really.”
Looking back on his last couple of seasons, the Londoner having swapped Boro - where he had top-scored in the Championship in 2022/23, netting 28 goals - for Ajax in the summer of 2023 after the Teessiders accepted a fee of €12.3 million (£10.7 million), rising to €14.3 million (£12.4 million) with add-ons.
"Eventful,” he reflected. "I had a special time at Middlesbrough, obviously. And then I’ve gone to Ajax and had a lot of ups and downs there, but a lot of good experiences playing in Europe.
"I had six months at Lille [in the second half of last season], playing in the Champions League and Ligue 1, which is obviously an amazing league. A lot of ups and downs, but all experiences that can help me.”
Asked what he wants from his time at Town, Akpom added: "Just to do as much as I can do to help the team. To be positive in and around the changing room and on the pitch and just bring my winning mentality here, and help the team as much as I can.
"[Fans can expect] me to give 100 per cent on the pitch, to be a goal threat, to express myself out there and just try and have a massive impact on the team.”
Akpom hasn’t played at Portman Road often but was impressed when there with former loan club Nottingham Forest back in April 2015 when his side was beaten 2-1.
"I think it was around 2015 when I was with Nottingham Forest we played here,” he recalled. "We lost unfortunately, but the atmosphere was good, the pitch was nice and it’s a good club. It feels like a very warm club and I’m just glad to be here.”
Akpom could make his Town debut in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup first round tie against Bromley at Hayes Lane.