Choosing to give Belgian football a go instead of moving to England’s second-tier, Chuba Akpom already has more minutes for Sint-Truiden in two games than he has for Arsenal in the league in over four years.
Starting his first match against Gent at the weekend following a 15 minute sub cameo against KV Kortrijk last week, the 22-year-old was unable to find the back of the net, but he’s getting closer, hitting the post.
For the Gunners’ loanee, it’s just a matter of time until he gets his instincts back, and more minutes on the pitch should solve that.
After the game, he told Het Belang Van Limburg: “It was my first full match in four months. I still have to pick up the pace, but I’ve already show everyone a glimpse of what I’ve got. I hope I can show the fans even more of my qualities in the following matches. Surprisingly, I still had energy when I was subbed off”.
With just over 90 minutes of football under his belt, the young Arsenal forward has been impressed with how high the level is in Belgium, and fully believes this is an ideal place for him to grown as a player.
He said: “There is a lot of passion in the game and there is good football. Nobody can underestimate Belgian football. Everyone in England knows the world-class footballers that come from here. I am eager to prove myself in this new competition”.
While making the playoffs for a spot in Europe might be a bit of a tough ask, with Sint-Truiden currently four points behind sixth with four tough games ahead of them in their schedule, Akpom refuses to give up, hoping results elsewhere go in their favour.
A winning mentality that should definitely serve him in the coming months before his return to the Emirates for the final year of his contract.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll even end up staying in Belgium if he likes it that much.
