By Wale Mustapha
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vítor Pereira has hailed the impact of Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare after his decisive contribution in Tuesday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup third-round win over Everton at Molineux.
Arokodare, who joined Wolves on deadline day, came off the bench to score his first goal for the club, sealing the result after Marshall Munetsi’s first-half opener.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Pereira praised the Super Eagles forward for making the most of his opportunity.
“When we are expecting a strong shot on goal, because he has the confidence in himself.
“Of course, he is not yet at his best physically. Larsen worked a lot for the team today, and after Tolu went inside he helped us. This is the spirit I want to see,” Pereira said.
The coach added that Arokodare is still adapting but backed him to play a bigger role in the weeks ahead.
“The plan was not for him to play 90 minutes but to give him time to adapt and to start getting minutes. He needs to work hard to reach full condition, and he will help us.”
Arokodare will be pushing for more game time when Wolves face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend.
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.
