Hope for the Future: An Interview with Hope Akpan, A Rising Star of the English Premier League
Published by Imikombong Ibia (Executive Columnist), Edited by Daniel Lewis (Editor-in-Chief) on May 17, 2013 in The Penn Sport Report. Click to read article in The Penn Sport Report.
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Hope Akpan is a 21-year-old British Nigerian who plays midfield for Reading F.C. of the English Premier League. Akpan started his career in Everton’s Youth Academy before being loaned away to Hull City, and eventually signing with Crawley Town in League One. He signed with Reading in January 2013, returning to the Premier League for the first time since his Everton days.
What has this experience been like for you?
It’s definitely a dream come true for me. It was always one of my goals, one of my ambitions, to play in the Premier League. I joined Reading from Crawley, who were in League One, so I had to adjust to Premier League life. It has been a good transition. Obviously, the Premier League is the best league in the world. There are a lot of really good, amazing players in the Premier League. So every week it is good to be testing myself against the likes of those.
How did you feel leaving Everton?
It was hard leaving. I had been there for ten years and it was all I knew as a kid growing up.
What did you learn while in the lower leagues?
I think it was for the best and it taught me a lot in the lower leagues, showing me the ugly side of the game, which I think I needed. A lot of young players who stay around the big clubs don’t get that. Now I’m a stronger player and person. After the knockback of leaving Everton, my attitude and the way I train has improved tenfold.
Did you expect to be back in the Premier League so soon?
My ambition at the beginning of the season was to get promoted with Crawley or to be playing in the Championship come January or at the end of the season. It was a little bit of a shock that the Premier League came calling so soon. But I’m taking it in stride.
How was it returning to Everton this season?
Going back to where I started my career from a young age was exciting, definitely, but I'm a Reading player now and I wanted to do well for Reading. We showed signs at Everton that we are a good team. We created quite a few chances but the timing of their goals was bad. Everton took their chances and we didn't, but we showed some positive signs.
Can you guys survive?
We can stay up, 100%. It is very tight, there are a lot of games left to play and a lot of points to play for and we need to go into the game with the belief we can win it. We still have that belief. All the teams around us in the table are under pressure to stay in the Premier League, so we can't use pressure as an excuse. We've just got to go out there, look to win the points every game, and take it from there.
How do you feel about your upcoming games?
All the games against the teams around us are going to be big from here on. There are a few coming up at home so the emphasis will be on us going out there trying to win the game. That's what we will try and do. QPR and Southampton have to come to our place and if we win those two games alone we will have a much greater chance of staying up. There are still 24 more points to play for so who is to say we can't stay in this league?
You’re at that point in most players’ career where they start to think about their international careers. You were born in Liverpool, but your parents are from Nigeria. Have you made up your mind about who you’re going to play for when the call comes?
That process is going on as we speak. Both my parent are Nigerian, so to play for Nigeria would definitely be an honor. I was born in the UK so to play for England would be an honor too but for me, Nigeria at the minute is where my heart lies.
Have you been pushed to make this decision to play for the Eagles by their recent success at the Nations Cup?
Definitely. Watching Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations was…I was really delighted that they managed to win that. It has been a while since Nigeria have been at the top of the tree in Africa and to see a young player who was brought up in the UK like Victor Moses, play for the team, do well for the team, and be one of the outstanding players in the tournament for Nigeria, has inspired me to want to do the same.
Has anybody from the Nigerian Football Association, or even Stephen Keshi, the coach, been in touch with you yet?
Not particularly, no. It’s something that I would like, for some contact to go on. Because it is one of the things in the future that I want to do…play for Nigeria.
What has this experience been like for you?
It’s definitely a dream come true for me. It was always one of my goals, one of my ambitions, to play in the Premier League. I joined Reading from Crawley, who were in League One, so I had to adjust to Premier League life. It has been a good transition. Obviously, the Premier League is the best league in the world. There are a lot of really good, amazing players in the Premier League. So every week it is good to be testing myself against the likes of those.
How did you feel leaving Everton?
It was hard leaving. I had been there for ten years and it was all I knew as a kid growing up.
What did you learn while in the lower leagues?
I think it was for the best and it taught me a lot in the lower leagues, showing me the ugly side of the game, which I think I needed. A lot of young players who stay around the big clubs don’t get that. Now I’m a stronger player and person. After the knockback of leaving Everton, my attitude and the way I train has improved tenfold.
Did you expect to be back in the Premier League so soon?
My ambition at the beginning of the season was to get promoted with Crawley or to be playing in the Championship come January or at the end of the season. It was a little bit of a shock that the Premier League came calling so soon. But I’m taking it in stride.
How was it returning to Everton this season?
Going back to where I started my career from a young age was exciting, definitely, but I'm a Reading player now and I wanted to do well for Reading. We showed signs at Everton that we are a good team. We created quite a few chances but the timing of their goals was bad. Everton took their chances and we didn't, but we showed some positive signs.
Can you guys survive?
We can stay up, 100%. It is very tight, there are a lot of games left to play and a lot of points to play for and we need to go into the game with the belief we can win it. We still have that belief. All the teams around us in the table are under pressure to stay in the Premier League, so we can't use pressure as an excuse. We've just got to go out there, look to win the points every game, and take it from there.
How do you feel about your upcoming games?
All the games against the teams around us are going to be big from here on. There are a few coming up at home so the emphasis will be on us going out there trying to win the game. That's what we will try and do. QPR and Southampton have to come to our place and if we win those two games alone we will have a much greater chance of staying up. There are still 24 more points to play for so who is to say we can't stay in this league?
You’re at that point in most players’ career where they start to think about their international careers. You were born in Liverpool, but your parents are from Nigeria. Have you made up your mind about who you’re going to play for when the call comes?
That process is going on as we speak. Both my parent are Nigerian, so to play for Nigeria would definitely be an honor. I was born in the UK so to play for England would be an honor too but for me, Nigeria at the minute is where my heart lies.
Have you been pushed to make this decision to play for the Eagles by their recent success at the Nations Cup?
Definitely. Watching Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations was…I was really delighted that they managed to win that. It has been a while since Nigeria have been at the top of the tree in Africa and to see a young player who was brought up in the UK like Victor Moses, play for the team, do well for the team, and be one of the outstanding players in the tournament for Nigeria, has inspired me to want to do the same.
Has anybody from the Nigerian Football Association, or even Stephen Keshi, the coach, been in touch with you yet?
Not particularly, no. It’s something that I would like, for some contact to go on. Because it is one of the things in the future that I want to do…play for Nigeria.