Arsenal’s Hale End academy product and Super Eagles-eligible forward, Chuba Akpom, has found himself in the centre of a growing storm, as Dutch giants Ajax come under fire for isolating him alongside six other players from their first-team setup, Footynaija.com reports.
Akpom, who joined Ajax in August 2023 after a 29-goal season for Boro, now faces an uncertain future just one year into his five-year contract with the Eredivisie side. Despite a strong goal-per-minute ratio in the limited appearances he had, Ajax informed the striker that he was not part of their plans moving forward.
The 29-year-old had joined Ajax in a deal reportedly worth €12 million, but never truly settled in Amsterdam. Struggling for game time, he was loaned to Lille in January 2025.
Although he showed glimpses of his quality in France, the Ligue 1 club declined to activate the option to buy, leaving Akpom to return to a cold welcome in the Dutch capital.
As revealed by Gazette Live, Ajax’s message to Akpom and six others came from technical director Alex Kroes, via WhatsApp, instructing them not to report to pre-season training with the main squad.
Instead, they were told to train separately, with restrictions placed on their access to club facilities. The affected players are only permitted to use the pitch and gym after the first team has finished, and they’ve been assigned just one physiotherapist for all seven.
This treatment has sparked outrage. The Dutch players’ union, VVCS, released a strong statement condemning Ajax’s actions.
“The VVCS is surprised by the ban imposed on seven Ajax players under contract. These players are being explicitly isolated from their colleagues in the first team,” the Union stated, per the report.
“The VVCS considers this to be a form of improper employment and unnecessary public damage to players who bear no responsibility for the situation that has arisen. Rather, they are victims of Ajax’s misguided policy, which gave [former director of football] Sven Mislintat free rein at the time.”
Although he has yet to receive a senior cap for the Super Eagles, Akpom has long made his intention to represent Nigeria known. Back in 2019, he told BBC Sport that he had decided to switch his international allegiance from England to Nigeria, saying: “I hope to take my career to the next level with Nigeria.”
Akpom still has three years left on his Ajax deal, and his wages are believed to be significant.
