Tolu Arokodare wasted little time making an impression at Ajax, coming off the bench to score on his first appearance for the Amsterdam giants.
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Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare marked his Ajax debut with a goal as the Dutch giants edged FC Volendam 3-2 in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.
Arokodare began the game among the substitutes before replacing Marcos Leonardo in the 71st minute. The 25 year old made an instant impact, netting Ajax’s third goal in the 88th minute after Anton Gaaei’s dangerous cross caused confusion in the FC Volendam defence.
A Fresh Chapter After A Tough Season
The forward completed his move to Ajax from Sky Bet Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the week on a season-long loan. The Eredivisie club hold an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the campaign, giving Arokodare the chance to rebuild momentum after a difficult first year in English football.
Fans keeping tabs on Nigerian strikers across Europe’s top leagues this pre-season can also follow fixtures and offers via the Bet9ja promotions page as the new campaigns approach. (Betting advertisement, 18+ only)
Building Towards The New Season
Arokodare will now be aiming to build on his encouraging start as he looks to secure a regular place in Ajax’s attack for the 2026/27 season, with the goal against Volendam offering an early sign of what the club hopes he can bring.
Did You Know?
- Arokodare was born in Festac Town, Lagos, and stands at 1.97m, making him one of the tallest strikers currently playing in Europe’s top divisions.
- His European journey began in Latvia with Valmiera, where he scored 22 goals in 34 appearances between 2019 and 2021 to first catch the eye of bigger clubs.
- Before settling in Belgium, he had loan spells with Bundesliga side FC Koln and French second-tier club Amiens, where he scored 21 goals in 63 matches.
- Arokodare won the Belgian Pro League Golden Boot in the 2024/25 season with 21 league goals for Genk, finishing the campaign with 23 goals in all competitions.
- That form also earned him the Ebony Shoe, awarded annually to the best player of African descent in the Belgian Pro League, making him only the sixth Nigerian to win it.
- His £24 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2025 made him one of the more expensive Nigerian strikers in Premier League history at the time.
- Ajax’s loan deal for Arokodare includes an option to sign him permanently for a fee in the region of 22 million euros at the end of the season.
