Born and raised in Newham, East London, 29-year-old striker Chuks Aneke has had an interesting career in football since coming through Arsenal’s academy.
A real handful for defenders standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Aneke also possesses good technical ability, can run with the ball at pace and is a tidy finisher.
The frontman re-signed for the Addicks for his second spell with the club for an undisclosed fee in January 2022, penning a deal in SE7 until 2025.
Hale End To La Masia
Chuks Aneke’s footballing journey started in 2001, when he signed for Arsenal’s academy at the age of eight and featured alongside Benik Afobe and current England captain Harry Kane in a tournament.
Chuks worked his way through the ranks at the illustrious academy, becoming a regular in midfield at several levels, including for the club’s under 21s, and his play style drew comparisons to the likes of Abou Diaby and Yaya Toure from his manager Arsene Wenger.
After rising through the ranks and producing several impressive performances, the Newham-born youngster was given an opportunity to feature in the first team. Just over a decade ago, Chuks’ made his first team debut for the Gunners in a 3-1 League Cup triumph over Shrewsbury, replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 90th minute.
In an interview with Birmingham Live, Aneke claimed that at that stage, there was interest in him from Barcelona, however, he did admit that a move was never set in stone.
Loan Spells
Shortly after making his senior debut for Arsenal, the club decided it was the right time to get Chuks some experience lower down the English pyramid where he enjoyed short loan spells with both Stevenage and Preston North End.
Having been unable to cement his place in either of the two sides, Aneke signed for Crewe Alexandra on loan in 2012. Aneke made 30 appearances for Crewe, netting six goals in the Railwaymen’s return to League One following a three-year spell in the fourth tier.
After impressing in his first year with the Cheshire side, Aneke returned to Crewe Alexandra ahead of the 2013/14 season where he would go on to feature on 40 occasions for the Railwaymen, netting 16 goals and helping his side avoid relegation from League One.
Despite a successful loan spell in the third tier, Chuks’ journey with his boyhood club came to end following the expiration of his Arsenal contract in 2014.
Spell In Belgium
Instead of relocating elsewhere in the United Kingdom, he decided to make the switch to Belgium where he signed for Belgian Pro League side, Zulte Waregem on a three-year deal.
Aneke signed for ‘Essevee’ as a replacement for Thorgan Hazard, and there he would play the number 10 role.
Aneke made just shy of 50 appearances whilst out in Belgium including a handful of Europa League qualification games in 2014 before he made the switch back to England.
Back In England
Following this fruitful spell out in Belgium, Chuks sustained a serious knee injury which practically ended his time with Zulte, and during his rehabilitation phase, he was approached by League Two outfit MK Dons.
Then manager Karl Robinson declared interest in the versatile midfielder, Aneke signed for the Dons on a one-year contract and would re-evaluate his playing style, becoming more of an out-and-out striker.
During his time with MK Dons, Chuks became a cult hero amongst the fanbase, bullying defenders and netting plenty of goals. The former Arsenal youngster’s career was back on track.
His final year at MK proved to be his most successful as after signing a contract extension until the summer of 2019, Aneke bagged 19 goals for Paul Tisdale’s side and contributed massively to his team’s third-place league finish and promotion back to League One.
Switch To SE7
Following the expiration of his deal with MK Dons, his promotion heroics earned him interest from another newly promoted club in Charlton Athletic, who were set for a return to the Championship following promotion from League One.
Aneke made the switch to South London and in a season disrupted by Covid-19, Charlton suffered heartbreak on the final day of the season as they were relegated from the Championship.
Chuks endured a tough start to life in SE7, picking up several injuries that saw him play for 600 minutes in 20 appearances for the Addicks, netting just one league goal.
It was Aneke’s second year with the Addicks which saw him blossom, as he netted 15 goals in 38 appearances in League One, mainly utilised as an impact substitute.
As his contract with Charlton came to an end, Chuks decided that he would not extend his deal with the club following a disappointing end to the season, as they missed out on the playoffs on goal difference.
Short Stint With Blues
After facing disappointment in the capital city, Aneke reunited with former manager Lee Bowyer in the Midlands as he secured a move to Championship club Birmingham City, putting pen to paper and signing a deal lasting three-and-a-half years.
What seemed to be a good move for the former England Youth international ended up falling apart, as Aneke struggled to regularly feature for the first team and was only featured rarely off the bench.
After just six months at Birmingham, he returned to Charlton for an undisclosed fee in January 2022.
Addicks Return
Since his return to the Valley earlier this year he has been used primarily as an effective option off the bench, featuring in 20 games in all competitions and making just four starts and netting seven goals.
He made an instant impact when he made his second debut for the club, scoring in a 1-1 draw against Cheltenham back in January.
Recently, Chuks made his first start of the 2022/23 season in FA Cup action against Stockport, following Jayden Stockley’s suspension and featured for over an hour, his return promising news for Charlton fans.
Edited by Josh Morton
