Chuba Akpom has been named the Championship Player of the Season, as Middlesbrough prepare for a likely play-off run next month.

Chuba Akpom with the Championship Player of the Season award (Photo via EFL.com)
Chuba Akpom with the Championship Player of the Season award (Photo via EFL.com)

The EFL have confirmed that Chuba Akpom is their official Player of the Season for the 2022/23 campaign, having scored 28 goals in the competition so far. He also scored in the FA Cup against Brighton.

Akpom’s goals have led his side up to fourth in the Championship table with three games remaining. A huge fixture on Monday night against third-place Luton Town will give them the chance to leapfrog their opponents.

Middlesbrough have already confirmed they’ll at least be part of the play-offs next month, as only one of the teams below them can catch their current points total.

But it’s still not impossible they could finish in the automatic promotion places. It’s just extremely unlikely, given the eight-point gap and Sheffield United’s game in hand.

Whatever happens, Akpom’s incredible individual season is now immortalised with this award.

The forward recently became the first Championship player to score in nine home games in a row, and he’s won multiple Player of the Month awards along the way.

Of course, Akpom will now want to end the season with promotion to the Premier League.

Chuba Akpom with his two PFA Championship Fans' Player of the Month awards for this season (Photo via the PFA on Twitter)
Chuba Akpom with two of his PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month awards for this season (Photo via the PFA on Twitter)

“I am super grateful,” Akpom said of the Player of the Season award. “It has been years of hard work to get to this stage, so I am over the moon. It’s been an amazing season but I’ve had a lot of downs, getting injured earlier in the season.

“The new manager came in at the perfect time and he probably brought out the best in me, put me in the number 10 and I’ve been enjoying it ever since.”