Ajax move thrills Arokodare

Nigeria international Tolu Arokodare has said he initially believed his agent was joking when told of interest from Ajax, describing the move to the Dutch giants as one he could never have imagined, after completing a season-long loan switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, PidomNigeria Sports Extra reports.

Speaking to Ajax’s official website, Arokodare, who will wear the number 99 shirt, spoke of his excitement at joining one of the biggest clubs in the Netherlands.

“I could never have imagined that I would play here. Not because I do not want to, but because everyone knows this club. In Nigeria, no one watches the Eredivisie, but everyone knows Ajax,” he said.

“When my agent said Ajax were interested, I thought he was joking. As I said, I never expected this. I immediately thought: I want this. It is the biggest club in the Netherlands and one of the biggest in Europe.”

Arokodare joined Wolves from Belgian side Genk for £24m last summer and went on to score six goals in 38 appearances across all competitions, though the 25-year-old was heavily linked with an exit throughout the transfer window, including reported interest from Fiorentina.

Earlier this month, he was alleged to have refused to leave the club’s training pitch after being informed he would not work with the first team, with a report also claiming extra security had been enforced to prevent further issues, an allegation Arokodare denied on social media.

Wolves confirmed the transfer in a brief statement that offered no quotes from a head coach or sporting director, while acknowledging that Arokodare started just one of the club’s final ten matches in the Premier League.

Ajax will have the option to make the deal permanent for a fee in the region of £17m next summer.

Ajax face FK Vojvodina in the Conference League on Thursday, holding a 4-1 aggregate lead from the first leg, though Arokodare is not eligible to feature in the second leg of the tie.