Tolu Arokodare has declared he wants to stay at Ajax forever, describing life in Amsterdam as heaven after a blistering start to life on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Super Eagles striker has scored 12 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions for the Dutch giants, and with a reported €20 million option to buy in his deal, the man Ajax fans sing about has made his feelings clear: he is home.
“Ajax feels like heaven”
In an interview with The Nation published on Sunday, Arokodare was glowing about his new club. “This is a big, big club, man. You can feel it in everything,” he said. “I like everyone here. Ajax feels like heaven. The training ground is brilliant, the stadium is stunning, the fans are brilliant, and I love the style of play.”
He also had warm words for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the German on loan from Barcelona. “Ter Stegen drives me mad in training,” he laughed. “Sometimes it is incredibly frustrating to see him save one shot after another.”
Ajax legend Ronald de Boer is convinced the striker means every word of it. “Twelve goals already. He had six last season, and he has said he wants to triple that. So at least eighteen. He’s well on his way. At the moment, he’s the undisputed number one.”
The Wolves nightmare he wants to leave behind
It is a far cry from his final months at Wolves. Last summer, headlines claimed Arokodare had forced the club to cancel a training session after refusing to leave the pitch following a row with coach Cesar Peixoto. For the first time, he has pushed back on that version of events.
“If I was that awful, why do I still get messages from them?” he asked, referring to his former teammates and staff. “They’ve made me out to be a bad person. It’s awful. That’s just not who I am.”
Ajax confirmed the season-long loan on 29 July 2026, with an option to buy. Technical director Jordi Cruyff has since confirmed the option — reported at around €20 million — is already fully arranged, including the salary, so exercising it would need no fresh negotiation.
Tolu Arokodare’s Midtjylland masterclass
On Thursday night, Arokodare produced his best Ajax display yet, scoring twice and setting up another as Ajax demolished Danish champions FC Midtjylland 6-1 in the UEFA Conference League. He headed in Oscar Gloukh’s corner inside nine minutes, restored the lead seven minutes after half-time with a thunderous finish from Abdellah Ouazane’s pass, then turned provider for Owen Wijndal. Fellow Nigerian Friday Etim had briefly levelled for the Danes, but Davy Klaassen, Gloukh and Marcos Leonardo completed the rout.
It continued a superb October in which Arokodare scored four goals in six league games and earned two Goal of the Month nominations — for his solo strike against Atalanta and his towering header in the 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, Ajax’s first victory over their rivals in five years. Ajax now sit second in the Eredivisie, one point behind leaders Feyenoord.
What it means for the Super Eagles
Tolu Arokodare’s form could hardly be better timed for Nigeria. He is in Eric Chelle’s 24-man squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifying double-header against Tanzania, with Victor Osimhen ruled out after knee surgery. With the Galatasaray striker sidelined, Arokodare — alongside Taiwo Awoniyi and Akor Adams — is the in-form option to lead the line in Uyo on Friday, 13 November, and in Zanzibar four days later.
“I pray it carries on like this,” Arokodare said. “I’m working hard for it too, because I don’t want to be a one-season wonder. The rest of my career needs to be just like this season. Maintaining a consistently high standard is the hardest thing there is.”
For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Mtjonenfa) — collage by SportsBuddy
