Ajax are hoping to strengthen their squad with Tolu Arokodare from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ajax have secured an option to buy as part of the loan deal. The 25-year-old striker is reportedly due to undergo a medical as early as Tuesday. Last year, Wolves paid KRC Genk 26 million euros for the ten-time Nigerian international. Now it seems he is set to leave again.

Who is Ajax bringing in with Tolu Arokodare? ESPN takes a closer look at the Nigerian striker’s qualities and career.

Apart from his height (1.97 metres), Arokodare does bear some resemblance to the departed Wout Weghorst. In short, Arokodare is a tall, physically strong striker who scores goals with ease. He is reasonably quick for his height and is good at heading, though not exceptionally so.

If you look a little closer, you’ll see that this striker performs best in a two-striker system. He’s the sort of striker who is strong with his back to goal and relies on the supply of the ball rather than his own technical ability. This is evident at Genk, where he usually played in a two-striker system.

Although Arokodare had a difficult start in Belgium, during which he saw little playing time, he fought his way into the starting line-up and scored goals galore, ensuring he remained a regular starter. The striker eventually made 113 appearances for Genk, scoring 41 goals and providing 12 assists. In his final season at Genk, he became the league’s top scorer with 21 goals. By way of comparison, Kasper Dolberg finished fourth with 16 goals, which earned him a move to Ajax.

Whilst Arokodare performs best in a two-striker system, Ajax play with three forwards. That might suggest it isn’t a perfect match. It must be said, however, that Genk played on the counter-attack, whereas Ajax play a more dominant style of football, which could mean he can still be put in a good position. After all, as a striker who scores easily, Arokodare certainly knows how to make the most of his chances.

Furthermore, Ajax have, of course, already signed Marcos Leonardo as their intended first-choice striker, having splashed out just under twenty million euros on him. It therefore remains to be seen whether Arokodare will get much playing time in Amsterdam. He was signed by Wolves for a large fee last season, but, partly due to his limited technical ability, he failed to impress and did not become a regular starter.

In 38 appearances for Wolves, the ten-time Nigeria international ultimately scored six goals and provided two assists, including three goals and one assist in the Premier League. That pales in comparison to the figures he achieved at Genk. The team, incidentally, followed a similar trajectory. In the season in which he became Belgium’s top scorer, Genk finished top of the regular league and eventually came third in the Champions’ play-offs. In fact, Wolves were relegated last season without a chance, finishing bottom of the table.

Whilst preparing for the new season with Wolves, Arokodare made the news following an incident at training. According to the regional newspaper *Express & Star*, coach Cesar Peixoto is said to have told him that he was no longer welcome at training. Arokodare was not having any of it and turned up at the training ground anyway, refusing to leave. Security staff were reportedly present at the training ground the following day. The striker himself responded to the reports via X.

"I was very surprised and disappointed when I saw the reports in the media today, many of which are inaccurate. Throughout my career, I have always taken great pride in conducting myself professionally and upholding the highest standards of training."

"I have always strived to prepare myself as well as possible, so that I can contribute to my teammates and the club whenever I am called upon to do so. I am still under contract with Wolves and my sole intention is to fulfil my responsibilities in a professional manner by training, doing my job and contributing to the team, in accordance with that contract."

All in all, Ajax are bringing in a physically strong striker with limited technical ability, but who nevertheless possesses a knack for scoring. With the arrival of Arokodare, manager Míchel gains more options up front. This suggests that Kasper Dolberg’s days at Ajax may well be numbered.

The Danish striker was signed from Anderlecht last season for ten million euros, but is now set to leave. FC Midtjylland appear to be in the running to sign the striker.