Ahead of this weekend’s crucial relegation clash against Everton, Leicester City are reportedly finalizing the paperwork to sign an attacking reinforcement who could potentially arrive in time to face the Toffees.
The Foxes currently sit just one point above the relegation zone after staging a comeback to stun Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing. They will undoubtedly be eager to secure back-to-back wins against Everton.
A victory would bring Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side within three points of Everton and could leave them as many as four points clear of the bottom three, depending on Wolves’ result against Aston Villa.
While the focus remains on the pitch, Leicester’s off-field activities are heating up as the January transfer window approaches its Monday deadline.
Having already secured the signing of defender Woyo Coulibaly earlier this month, the Foxes are now targeting an addition to their attack, with reports suggesting the new signing could even be available for this weekend’s match.
According to De Telegraph in the Netherlands, Leicester are preparing the official documents to sign Chuba Akpom from Ajax before the deadline. The deal could be completed swiftly enough for the forward to be registered and make his debut against Everton.
In a rapid development, Leicester have gone from being an interested party to Akpom’s likely destination. The 28-year-old forward looks set to return to English football less than two years after leaving Middlesbrough for Ajax, where he has experienced mixed fortunes.
Now poised to finally get his chance in the Premier League, Akpom could play a pivotal role in Leicester’s fight for survival this season.
“Terrific” Akpom will ease Vardy responsibility:
It’s never ideal for a team battling relegation to rely heavily on a 38-year-old striker, no matter how impressive that striker may still be. For Leicester, the risk of Jamie Vardy showing signs of age has always been a concern, and it could have contributed to their potential relegation struggles.
However, Akpom’s arrival would immediately alleviate that pressure. The 29-year-old would share the goalscoring burden with Vardy, especially if he can recapture the record-breaking form he displayed at Middlesbrough.
In 2023, Akpom became the first Middlesbrough striker in over 30 years to score 20 goals in a season.
Reflecting on this achievement, manager Michael Carrick praised the forward, as reported by ITV: “It’s a terrific achievement,” Carrick said of Akpom reaching and surpassing the 20-goal mark.
“It’s not easy to score that many goals. He’s scored all different types of goals for us since I’ve been here. I thought his performance was fantastic.
“He gets credit for his goals, but his performance all round was terrific. And because we have threats in different areas, he ends up getting a bit more space. To score that many goals, hopefully he can carry on and set a new target for himself.”
