Chuba Akpom Praises Ajax’s New Coach for Personal Approach

Monday, November 6, 2023 at 7:30 AM • Jeroen van Poppel • Last update: 07:45

Chuba Akpom pays a huge compliment to John van ‘t Schip. The English striker, who scored three goals in two substitute appearances last week, praises Ajax’s new coach for his human interaction with the players. “This was a great week. The best week since I’ve been here, to be honest,” says Akpom after the victory over SC Heerenveen (4-1).

Akpom came on deep in the second half and scored twice. The attacker is very happy in front of the NOS camera. “Two wins in a row, it couldn’t be better. This is what I’ve been waiting for. I know what I can do.”

Ajax paid a maximum of fourteen million euros to Middlesbrough for Akpom, who struggled in his first period. The striker was brought in on the recommendation of the dismissed director of football affairs Sven Mislintat, but he did not feel any confidence from ex-coach Maurice Steijn, he hinted.

Akpom immediately feels a click with Van ‘t Schip. “The new trainer immediately gave me confidence, right from the first day. It made me feel more at home at Ajax than in the past two months combined. The first two months were terrible, to be honest. I didn’t play, we didn’t win… I was in a hotel by myself. It was stressful.”

Although Akpom does not mention Steijn’s name, his answers contain harsh criticism of the dismissed trainer. “What does the new coach do differently? He spoke to me as a human being. We are football players, but we are first and foremost people. For example, he asked me how I have settled here in the Netherlands.”

For the time being, Akpom is on the bench behind Brian Brobbey, but the striker supports his competitor. “Brian is a strong player. He is good and young. I think we are complementary to each other. He is very physical and strong, I am probably a more technical player. We can play together, but I will always support him anyway. I hope he will do the same with me.”

Akpom already scored against FC Volendam (2-0) and made two more goals against Heerenveen. What was striking when cheering was how happy his fellow players were for him. “Yes, they know how difficult it was for me. It’s a great feeling when you see your teammates so happy after a goal.”

Ajax is working on team building under Van ‘t Schip. Akpom fully supports this. “We’re all in the same boat, at the end of the song. We’ve all suffered defeats. I haven’t played as much as I would like, but I always try to keep the right mentality and commitment. I’m there for everyone.”

2023-11-06 06:30:00
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