By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria international Tolu Arokodare is on the verge of sealing a dream move to the English Premier League, with Wolverhampton Wanderers closing in on a €20 million deal to sign him from Belgian side KAA Gent.
The 23-year-old, who finished last season as the Belgian Pro League’s top scorer, has been one of the hottest names in the transfer market this summer, attracting interest from clubs in France and Germany.
However, Wolves’ long-term project under manager Gary O’Neil is believed to have swayed the lanky forward, who is set to agree to a five-year contract pending final negotiations between both clubs.
Gent, open to cashing in on their prized asset, value Arokodare around €20m, a figure Wolves are ready to match. The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
The move comes shortly after Wolves pulled the plug on their pursuit of another Nigerian forward, Uche Chrisantus, from Getafe.
Talks collapsed after disagreements with the player’s camp, prompting the Premier League side to redirect focus to Arokodare.
If completed, the transfer will make Arokodare the latest in a long line of Nigerians to feature in the Premier League, following the footsteps of Nwankwo Kanu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Alex Iwobi, and Taiwo Awoniyi.
His arrival is expected to add firepower to Wolves’ frontline and provide competition for the club’s established strikers as they look to climb higher up the Premier League table this season.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
