Everton: Sky Sports pundit reacts to Toffees pursuit of West Ham ace Michail Antonio and Middlesbrough goal-machine Chuba Akpom
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell is unconvinced that Chuba Akpom would be the right striker for Everton because he hasn’t proven himself in the Premier League.
The Middlesbrough striker has been in fine form this season for the promotion chasers, leading the second tier with 28 goals, and talkSPORT reported on 9 March that the Toffees were “waiting to pounce” if Michael Carrick’s side don’t go up.
But ex-Goodison Park striker Campbell would be much happier for Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell to go after Michail Antonio from West Ham as a proven top flight operator, a target in the January window [talkSPORT, 16 January] and linked again since [Alan Nixon via Patreon, 19 March].
The Sky Sports pundit exclusively told Goodison News of the Akpom interest: “I have no idea whether that’s going to happen or not. Middlesbrough are going really well.
“Akpom’s having a fantastic season, especially since Carrick’s gone there.
“Can I see it happening? Not really.
“Because if you’re looking at Michail Antonio, you’ve got Ellis Simms there, Calvert-Lewin’s there, do you buy another?
“I’m not so sure on that one. Chuba Akpom doesn’t really have a resumé that says he can do it in the Premier League.
“Maybe he can. Maybe he can score a lot of goals, but in terms of a resumé Michail Antonio has done it in the Premier League.
“That’s the type of player that Everton really need in there.
“So my opinion is that Chuba Akpom has to prove himself a lot more that he can do it in the Premier League.”
Simms came back from Championship football at Sunderland in January and scored a crucial goal against Chelsea on 18 March, but that hasn’t proven to be a sign of things to come as Dyche has used him sparingly since.
So it would seem that the manager is of the same sort of opinion as Campbell when it comes to youth vs experience, although 28 goals (and counting) is hardly to be sniffed at in any league.
Middlesbrough look unlikely to sneak into the second automatic promotion spot, but are comfortably in fourth place so it may be that Akpom makes it to the top flight at the Riverside yet anyway, which would make Antonio the target of choice.