Chuba Akpom drops claim involving Ipswich Town & Middlesbrough - some fans won't agree | OneFootball

Chuba Akpom has compared the current Ipswich squad to the Middlesbrough side he played in.

Chuba Akpom has suggested that Ipswich Town's current squad is stronger on paper than the Middlesbrough side he spearheaded to the play-offs in 2022/23 - a comparison that is likely to divide opinion.

The striker joined the Tractor Boys this summer on loan from Ajax after turning down Birmingham City and also a return to the Riverside Stadium, where he had previously produced a remarkable 28-goal campaign under Michael Carrick, firing Boro into the play-offs.

After the Teesiders fell short against Coventry City at the semi-final stage, Akpom secured a big move to Dutch giants Ajax, before returning to England's second tier after two years away.

Akpom's new side have made a slow start to life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League, picking up just one win in their opening five fixtures.

Chuba Akpom delivers Middlesbrough and Ipswich verdict

Despite the early struggles, Akpom is convinced that the squad under Kieran McKenna is capable of matching and surpassing the Boro team in which he netted 28 Championship goals in the 2022-23 season.

Speaking to Ipswich's club channels (via TeesideLive), Akpom said: "I'd say this squad on paper is definitely better, but it's more about gelling.

"You look at teams like PSG when they had Messi and Neymar, they didn't win the Champions League. It's all about the team gelling and everybody sacrificing themselves for the team. If we have that on top of the talent, 100 per cent, we should do good."

Though Boro ultimately fell short in 2023, Carrick's side is still well regarded on Teeside.

Many fans still look upon that term as a missed opportunity, with many key figures departing soon after, ultimately ending up with Carrick's Boro tenure earlier this year, ahead of Rob Edwards' arrival.

Ipswich have invested heavily since relegation, making them one of the favourites for promotion. McKenna's men, though, have won just once in the league this season. Akpom believes that it is only a matter of time before Ipswich click fully into gear.

"It's normal for people to start panicking, but it's early days," Akpom added.

"There's lots of new players, not just from this season but from last season, and everyone just needs a bit of time to gel."

"From now there are no excuses. We want to produce, we want to win games and show everyone what we can do."

Chuba Akpom is a key weapon up Kieran McKenna's sleeve for Ipswich Town

Akpom's time in Amsterdam was far from plain sailing. Despite netting 15 times in 11 starts for Ajax during his first season, he was continuously linked with a move away after not being able to nail down a starting spot.

The same could be said during his second season in the Netherlands, as he joined French outfit Lille on loan for the second half of the 2024/25 season after scoring eight times for Ajax.

Akpom made just 14 appearances for the Mastiffs while parent club Ajax imploded in the Eredivisie - with PSV pulling off a sensational heist to rip the title from the Amsterdammer's grasp on the final day despite being nine points behind with seven matches remaining.

A subsequent managerial change saw the future of Akpom in doubt once again, and his summer move to Ipswich saw him return to the EFL for the first time since his Boro departure.

After not playing as much football as he would have wanted during his time in the Netherlands and France, Akpom has not been thrown in the deep end straight away at Portman Road - playing for just 98 minutes under McKenna thus far.

However, having a 28-goal attacker in your ranks is a proposition that no manager would turn down. Should Akpom reach levels anywhere near those of his time at the Riverside, he could be the difference for the Tractor Boys as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Boro fans will always wonder what could have been had he stayed, though, especially when this year's sensational start to the season is considered.

What will be divisive, though, is his verdict on the squad. While the wheels did ultimately fall off for Michael Carrick's Boro side, his 2022/23 iteration was a fantastic watch, with 28 Akpom goals adding the icing on the cake.

Ipswich were red-hot favourites heading into the campaign. However, McKenna's men have not lived up to the sky-high expectations just yet.