Middlesbrough sporting director Kieran Scott has provided an insight into why Chuba Akpom was sold last summer.
Michael Carrick and his team endured a rather disappointing 2023/24 Championship campaign.
Boro finished fourth in the league the campaign prior before going on to lose to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals.
In turn, the North East outfit were expected to kick on this past season and once again make a push for promotion back to the Premier League.
However, a dismal run of form midway through the campaign, which was not helped by an injury crisis, saw Boro’s promotion hopes dashed and the club forced to settle for 8 place – four points away from the top six.
As well as injury woes hampering Boro’s 2023/24 season, it was evident they struggled to replicate the attacking threat produced by Chuba Akpom in the previous season.
The former Arsenal man scored 29 goals in all competitions for the Teessiders and 28 in the league – the most by a Boro player since Fabrizio Ravanelli netted 31 in the 1996/97 campaign.
Middlesbrough have struggled to sign consistent goalscorers for years and after finally finding one in Akpom, things were looking up for Carrick.
Unfortunately for Boro fans, the 28-year-old was then sold to Ajax during the 2023 summer transfer window.
Middlesbrough chief Kieran Scott explains why Chuba Akpom was sold
This was a major blow for the club and suggested to fans that Boro lacked any real ambition when it came to securing a return to the Premier League, with the focus instead seemingly just on making money.
It is easy to see why Middlesbrough fans may think this, with Steve Gibson selling on stars like Ben Gibson, Patrick Bamford, and Adama Traore during periods when they were crucial to a Boro side that should have been in contention for promotion.
Now, however, Middlesbrough sporting director Scott has provided an insight into why Akpom left the Riverside in 2023.
While the transfer at the time seemed like a money grab, Scott explained that Akpom’s contract situation and his desire not to pen fresh terms meant Boro’s hands were tied.
“Every time we have sold a player, there has been a reason why we’ve had to do that,” Scott said. “It’s not the case that we sat here wanting to sell Chuba Akpom after he just banged 29 goals in for us.
“He didn’t want to sign a new contract and made that clear. So with a year left on his contract, we were forced really to do that. It’s not like we sit here absolutely desperate to sell our best players.
“However, at times, there comes a point where you have to do what’s right for the club, even if that’s not always what the fans want to see.”
Kieran Scott makes Middlesbrough promotion promise
As well as explaining why Middlesbrough were forced to part ways with the best striker the club have had in years, Scott made it clear to the Boro faithful that both he and Michael Carrick have a ‘burning ambition’ to secure promotion.
“But in terms of ambition, I can assure you, there is still a burning ambition to win promotion,” he added. “We attracted Michael to the job because of that. Everything he achieved in his career, he hasn’t just come here to just sit in the Championship. I certainly haven’t come here for that either.”
To Scott’s credit, Boro do seem to have found a solid replacement for Akpom in Emmanuel Latte Lath.
The 25-year-old had a slow start to life in England but scored 11 goals in the second half of the 2023/24 Championship campaign.
If Boro are able to keep hold of Latte Lath and other key stars like Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg this summer, they stand a good chance of being in and around the promotion race come the back end of the forthcoming season.
Scott’s promises of a promotion push has also been backed up in the transfer market this summer.
The window has been open less than a week but the club have already completed the signings of Luke Ayling and Delano Burgzorg, with Aidan Morris also close to finalising a move to Teesside.