Chuba Akpom has credited Ipswich Town’s positive start to the season to how quickly the new-look Blues squad has settled under manager Gary O’Neil.

Following a change that saw 12 new arrivals at Portman Road, Town have picked up 10 points from their opening eight Premier League matches to see them above the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the early standings.

All three league victories – against potential relegation rivals Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Fulham – have been achieved courtesy of winning goals scored in the 90th minute or later.

New signings Emersonn, Zian Flemming, Julio Enciso and Daizen Maeda all getting their goalscoring seasons underway has helped aid the encouraging start, while Saša Lukić, Exequiel Palacios and Issa Diop have also shown their worth to the Blues during the opening months of the campaign.

That early impact has been vital, and Town striker Akpom believes the club’s backroom staff deserve praise for the way they have gone about their business so far.

“I feel like we’re well drilled and everybody knows what to do on the pitch, so it’s fantastic. I feel like there’s still a lot more to come from the team. Hopefully this is just the beginning, but we’re showing some positive signs,” he said.

“I would say that’s on the coaching staff, on the gaffer, and on the players. I think it’s all of us together. The togetherness is fantastic in and around the place, and around the training ground, you can see everyone gels well.”

Despite the Blues’ eventual promotion out of the Championship last term, it was not the season Akpom had envisaged after moving to Suffolk from Dutch giants Ajax on an initial loan.

The former Arsenal forward scored just twice and started only seven league matches, the latest of which came in the victory over Oxford United on New Year’s Day.

O’Neil took over as manager in June, and a rejuvenated Akpom believes his form under the new Town boss is a much better representation of what he is capable of.

The 31-year-old said: “He’s pushed me and said that I’m going to be part of his plans, and I think that’s helped me a lot. I feel like Ipswich fans, Ipswich staff and my team-mates are starting to really see the real me compared to last season.

“There’s so much more to show, and I’ve just got my head down, working and ready for whatever opportunity I get.

“From the goalkeepers to the strikers, there’s lots of depth. There’s lots of competition, and you need that in the Premier League.

“It’s extremely competitive, and I’m competing against my fellow strikers, but we’re also pushing each other to do well and pushing each other to help the team. I would call it healthy competition, and it’s all going to help the team.”

Town’s new state-of-the-art training centre at Playford Road opened on the eve of the campaign, with the £30m facility no doubt playing its part in the club’s continued drive for success.

“When you’ve got a training ground like this, it encourages the players to stay here for even longer, which can only be a good thing, right?

“If you’re doing extra recovery and you’re spending more time recovering and improving how you are physically, then it’s only going to help you on the pitch. I think that definitely helps.”

Perhaps another role in Akpom’s upturn in form has been his move to a more preferable role as a central striker, having been utilised as a number 10 during much of last season.

On his best position, he said: “I would say I’m a number nine, yeah. If I have to do a job elsewhere, I’ll do a job elsewhere. I’m professional, I’ll get my head down and get on with it, but I think to get the best from me, you probably have to see me at a number nine.

“I think I’m physically good, I can make good runs behind, and I can be a nuisance for the back line. I would say that’s where I’m at my best.”

Akpom has scored twice in all competitions this term with goals against Manchester United and Arsenal, albeit both came as late consolations in stoppage time that did little to impact the result.

“It’s fantastic,” he added. “For a striker to score goals, that’s what we thrive off, isn’t it? I’m just hoping I get more opportunities to show and score some more goals.

“Although we lost that game to Man United, I did leave the game thinking I’m quite proud of myself for getting my first Premier League goal, even though it took so long. Hopefully I can get some more, that would be nice.”