Tolu Arokodare scores and celebrates during the EFL Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton at Molineux, Wolverhampton, England on 23 September 2025. Copyright: ImagoxManjitxNarotra
Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare joined Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer, but the Wolves are yet to win in the English top-flight, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 24-year-old opened his goalscoring account with the three-time EPL winners in their EFL Cup win over Everton.
Despite splashing £24m to bring in Arokodare from KRC Genk, Vitor Pereira’s side are still struggling in front of goal, the joint-lowest of any team in the English Premier League.
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Pereira highlights plans for Arokodare
With goals not forthcoming, the Portuguese coach has hinted he could play the Nigerian forward alongside Norway’s Jørgen Strand Larsen.
“I believe that we can play with both. But in this moment, Larsen is struggling with an injury because he’s not fully fit,” the 57-year-old said in quotes revealed by Wolves’ official website.
“The Larsen that you used to see; pressing, fighting, because he’s now with some pain and he’s struggling with injury, but he’s trying to help the team in this important moment, but he’s not at his best level.
“The pre-season of Tolu’s was a preseason without games, that’s because he was in a position where he could leave the club or stay, or leave, or stay or leave.
“When he first came and started to work with us, he was not ready to start a game, but we needed him, and we started with him in Newcastle.
“He tried his best, he scored a beautiful goal against Everton, but he is not yet in his best shape.”
Despite his two strikers not being in their best form, Vitor Pereira mentioned that the competition for playing time between them can yield positive results.
“Football is not about gifts. I don’t give gifts. I cannot offer you [a place in the team] because you are a name in football.
“I cannot give you the shirt, you must desire it and you must deserve the shirt with your work – it’s not about words. I’m trying to be fair every time.
“Sometimes, if I have two players in the same position and the level is almost the same and they are competing together, if I choose one over the other one, I feel like he deserves to be there,” the former Al-Shabab manager continued.
“This is the headache that I want to have. To choose when they are competing at their best level. This is not about offers, it’s about deserving it.
“In my life, I need to deserve what I get. If we win a game and I’m not satisfied with our performance, I’m happy for the three points, but I will go home thinking about how we can improve our level, because I am not proud of myself.
“I need to feel proud of myself in my work, and this is what I ask from my players. We need to finish a game and feel proud of our work, and make the supporters proud of our work,” Pereira concluded.
After six league games this season, the four-time FA Cup winners have just one point. They have to pick themselves up soon, else they risk a return to the EFL Championship, a place they’ve not been for the past seven years.