Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom may be set to leave on loan again after admitting that the Championship offered greater opportunities for him than youth team football.
Akpom, 20, had been in contention to start Arsenal’s opening game of the season against Liverpool – where Olivier Giroud was absent from the squad after an extended break following Euro 2016 – but saw makeshift striker Alexis Sanchez preferred to him and was confined to the bench in a 4-3 loss.
Arsene Wenger left Akpom out of the matchday squad for the last two Premier League matches and the young striker has now found himself playing with the Under-23 side, who lost 3-1 to Liverpool on Friday.
Akpom, who netted the only goal in the defeat, spent last season on loan at Championship side Hull City and believes he was much stronger for the experience.
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“I think that obviously reserve football and first team football is a big difference,” he told the Arsenal website.
“The Championship is tough, playing games week in week out and experiencing it is a good experience. I think that any player, if you go out on loan and get as many games as possible you’re going to come back experienced and I think I have.”
Should Akpom decide on a short-term departure his exit window is closing fast. Unlike in previous seasons Football League sides will not be able to exploit an additional emergency loan window – any temporary signings must be completed by August 31.
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