Super Eagles striker, Tolu Arokodare’s impressive start at Ajax has been attributed to his pace, strength and aerial ability by former PSV Eindhoven defender Jan Wuytens.
Arokodare joined Ajax on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer transfer window after struggling to make a significant impact at the Premier League club last season.
The 25-year-old had previously made his name at Belgian side Genk, where his performances earned him the Ebony Shoe award before Wolves signed him in 2025.
However, his time in England proved difficult, with Wolves also suffering relegation from the Premier League.
Arokodare has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround since moving to Ajax.
After impressing during pre-season, the Nigerian has continued his fine form into the new campaign, scoring five goals and providing two assists in eight appearances across all competitions.
His performances also contributed to Ajax securing qualification for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Wuytens, who worked with Arokodare as an assistant coach at Genk, believes the striker’s attributes have made him particularly effective at Ajax.
He also noted that the Dutch club’s style has similarities to the football Arokodare experienced at Genk.
“Tolu has a very special profile, he is a unique boy”, Wuytens began.
“When he came, he had to get used to our way of playing. We played a kind of Ajax football, with high pressure. He had a really hard time with that at the beginning: constantly making those sprint meters in pressing.
“But in his second season, Tolu really got loose at Genk, also because we started using him much more in his power.”
According to Wuytens, Genk eventually found ways to maximise Arokodare’s physical qualities, particularly by supplying him with crosses and using his aerial strength.
“We started training more on crosses, throwing balls in the box. There Tolu is just unstoppable. He is very good in air, and also quite fast, then you have to bring him into his strength”, he continued.
“He himself also adapted better and better, especially to the pace of the game, because there are a lot of transition moments in Belgian football.
“He’s a special boy. He has a kind of magic, that he can win everyone over at certain clubs..
“As a trainer, you really have to hit the right string with him, the perfect string, and you have to keep hitting it, to get him consistent. If you do that, you will get a killer on the field.
“That’s the game you have to play with him: you want to bring him into a certain structure, in which he can also be himself. That’s interesting. With us there have never been problems with being late or things like that.
“And in the end he really got going. He started scoring more and more, and we started using him better and better.
“He is holding the ball so strong that the rest can join. If you feed him with crosses, and people walking around him, he is a very interesting player”, Wuytens concluded.
Arokodare missed Ajax’s 5-1 victory over Willem II on Tuesday after falling ill and remained an unused substitute.
He will hope to recover in time for the club’s weekend fixture against Excelsior.
The striker will also be looking to regain full fitness ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month.
