New signing Tolu Arokodare made his Premier League debut at the weekend as Wolves were defeated yet again.
The Nigerian was handed his first appearance for Wolves on a difficult away trip to Newcastle.
He didn’t manage his first goal for the club, but there were reasons for encouragement as Vitor Pereira pointed out.
Tolu is excited to get settled at Molineux and show the same goalscoring prowess that gave Genk so much success.
Tolu Arokodare claims he is ‘tailor-made’ for the Premier League
Tolu has played in Germany, France and Belgium, but he has always wanted to give England’s top flight a go.
In a recent interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Wolves’ new striker shared his feelings on the move, and how he feels about playing in the Premier League.
He says: “It’s a competition that perfectly suits my skills. It’s tailor-made for me. I’m strong and fast , which will come in handy here.
“It will take some getting used to in the first few weeks, but I’m ready for this challenge.”
Tolu didn’t have much of a pre-season and arrived at Molineux far from fully fit. But his inclusion against Newcastle was necessary given Jorgen Strand Larsen’s injury.
He showcased those physical attributes against Newcastle’s dominant centre-back pairing, undeterred by their size and strength.
Tolu Arokodare’s reason for joining Wolves
There was plenty of interest in the Belgian Pro League’s top goalscorer from last season, with clubs like AC Milan and Napoli pursuing a move, but it was an easy decision for Tolu in the end.
HLN’s Bob Faesen writes: “In all his enthusiasm, he jokes: ‘The Wolverhampton shirt fits me like a glove.’ He then adds what a great club it is and that Wolves are known for ‘using their strikers well’ – ‘I’ll benefit from that’.”
Wolves have had plenty of success developing forwards in the past few seasons, Matheus Cunha and Strand Larsen being the most recent examples.
Tolu’s confidence is great to see, and hopefully it can translate to his on-pitch performance.
If Strand Larsen’s recovery goes as planned, we could see Pereira use a strike partnership again, this time with two out-and-out centre forwards.