By Saheed Afolabi
Genk sporting director, Dimitri De Conde, has ruled out the possibility of Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare leaving the club in the upcoming January transfer window.
Arokodare has been in sensational form this season, netting nine goals and providing two assists in 15 appearances for the Belgian side.
Despite his impressive performances, De Conde made it clear that Genk has no intention of allowing the striker to depart midway through the season.
“Tolu is not allowed to leave. He is also very grateful to our trainer and will not leave Fink and Genk just like that,” De Conde stated, as quoted by voetbalnieuws.
The 23-year-old forward was close to moving to Turkish club Trabzonspor during the summer transfer window, but Genk manager Thorsten Fink convinced him to stay.
With Arokodare continuing to shine for the Smurfs, De Conde emphasized that letting him go would be disastrous for the club.
Currently, Genk sit atop the Belgian Pro League with 34 points from 15 matches.
They will face STVV in their next encounter at the Stayen Stadium in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, with Arokodare expected to remain a key figure in their attack.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
