Chuba Akpom grabbed a hat-trick for Ajax in the UEFA Europa League playoffs to shine brightest this past week along with standout performances by Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, Cyriel Dessers and Josh Maja.
5.Josh Maja
West Bromwich Albion are again pushing for promotion back to the Premier League in the new campaign after they fell short in the playoffs last season. One of the players who could make this possible will be Josh Maja, who was injured most of last term. He is fit again and scoring goals. At the weekend he netted his fourth goal for ‘The Baggies’ to win 2-1 at Stoke City. This was after his hat-trick on the opening day of the English Championship season against QPR. West Brom will be praying for a healthy Maja for this season.
4.Cyriel Dessers
The Super Eagles striker has been consistent in front of goal since the start the season and he continued this rich vein of form this past weekend with a brace in a 6-0 mauling of Ross County. He has now scored five goals in his last five games for Rangers. Certainly, the critics will have less to say against him now.
3.Moses Simon
The hard working winger got his first goal of the new Ligue 1 season to inspire FC Nantes to a 2-0 home win over promoted Auxerre. This past season was difficult for the Super Eagles forward as his numbers showed and this was also not helped by the injury he suffered on international duty which sidelined him in the closing months. He will again be important for ‘The Canaries’ to stay up in the top flight in France.
2.Alex Iwobi
Scoring goals has not been his strong suit, but he improved on this last season and has now got off the mark in the new campaign for Fulham to stop promoted Leicester City at the weekend. Iwobi is far removed from the problems at former club Everton and many expect him to continue to flourish at his present London club.
1.Chuba Akpom
Many said the former Arsenal forward, who has pledged his international future to the Super Eagles, played his best game in an Ajax shirt when he fired a hat-trick against Polish club Jagellonia Bialstyock in the UEFA Europa League playoffs. He has been rumoured to be on his way out of the Amsterdam club, but on the strength of recent displays, he looks set to stay put and deliver the goods for the Dutch giants.
