Ajax manager John van’t Schip has revealed he did not have any plans to allow Nottingham Forest to recruit Chuba Akpom during the January transfer window.
Forest were linked with a late loan move for the English striker, which failed to materialise after deals were struck for Gio Reyna and Rodrigo Ribeiro in attacking areas.
Akpom signed for Ajax in the summer on the back of a scintillating season for Middlesbrough, which saw the Arsenal academy graduate score 28 goals in 38 Championship appearances. A transfer to the Eredivisie subsequently followed and the 28-year-old has been on target nine times, having played 20 games across all competitions for his new club.
He previously experienced a brief loan at the City Ground during the 2014/15 season, making seven outings, but Ajax’s boss has explained he had no interest in giving the green light for a second spell at Forest for Akpom.
“It was clear to me that I didn’t want to lose Chuba because he is important to us,” Van ’t Schip told Voetbal Primeur. “(There is the risk) you let someone go without getting anyone in return. So, for me, it was a no-go and it was also a loan deal, so we didn’t want to participate with it anyway.”
A report by De Telegraaf has explained Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were willing to include a purchase option in their temporary swoop for the forward, which would be activated in the event of Forest avoiding relegation from the Premier League. This was reportedly viewed as an unattractive proposition by the Dutch club, who decided to “pull the plug” due to not having a suitable replacement lined up in this position of the pitch
