By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers have secured the signing of Nigerian forward Tolu Arokodare from Genk on a four-year contract, with an option for an additional year.
The 24-year-old arrives at Molineux on the back of a standout campaign in Belgium, where he won the Pro League Golden Boot after scoring 21 league goals and 23 in all competitions.
“It feels amazing. It did take a while, but I’m here finally, and I’m happy to be here. I didn’t need convincing,” Tolu revealed in his interview with the club.
“I know the history of the club and the players that have been here and how they’ve progressed to become better players. I like the project of the club, and that’s what I want for myself. I want to improve and I want to progress, and help this team.”
Since moving to Genk, Arokodare has steadily grown into a prolific striker, registering 15 goals in his first full season before reaching new heights last term with 23 goals and seven assists across 52 appearances.
His 21 league goals, tied for the most in the division, earned him the award thanks to his superior tally of away strikes.
On the international stage, Arokodare has already made four appearances for Nigeria, helping the Super Eagles qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and netting his first goal in a June clash with Russia.
Having started the current season strongly with five games and a goal against Standard Liège, he now embarks on his first Premier League challenge with Wolves.
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.
