Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands striker, Tolu Arokodare, ended up reeling accolades on the club for giving him the right feeling and atmosphere to flourish, culminating in his 10th goal of the season on Saturday.
Sports247 reports that, in contrast with the torrid days he faced last season at Wolverhampton Wanderers of England, Arokodare is on fire with Ajax, and the Super Eagles’ fringe player is grateful to everyone at the Dutch club for making it possible.
Arokodare was reeling with lyrical late Saturday, after his goal helped Ajax snap an 11-game winless run against AZ, and the victory also saw his team cut the gap at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie table to just a point behind league leaders Feyenoord.
Ajax manager Michel Sanchez was also seen grinning from ear to ear, as Arokodare got the game’s only goal after towering over Mees de Wit to head in a cross from 17-year-old Abdellah Ouazane in the ninth minute of their encounter in Amsterdam.
Little happened after Arokodare’s goal and the second half saw Marc ter Stegen get the most action, with the German stopper keeping AZ from scoring on several occasions, as Ajax didn’t manage a shot until the 88th minute, when substitute Oscar Gloukh had his effort saved by Jari De Busser.
Ajax narrowly held onto their lone-goal lead until the end, despite a disappointing second half, and cut the gap on leaders Feyenoord to just one point, while also snapping a 12-game winless run against the Alkmaar side, whose last win dates back to September 20th.
Both teams will now prepare for European games, with Ajax set to visit Midtjylland of Denmark in the UEFA Conference League; ahead of which Arokodare restated his delight in joining Ajax on loan from Wolves, which he left under stormy circumstances.
The 25-year-old star admitted he is glad to join the Amsterdam-based side, adding: “This is a big, big club. You can feel it in everything. I like everyone here. Ajax feels like heaven. The training ground is brilliant, the stadium is stunning, the fans are brilliant, and I love the style of play.”
Arokodare, who was among 12 summer signings for Ajax, is one of their main attractions this season, having scored 10 goals in 15 games across all competitions, thereby raising talk that the club will apply their option to buy him outright for €20m.
“I pray it carries on like this. I’m working hard for it too, because I don’t want to be a one-season wonder. The rest of my career needs to be just like this season. Maintaining a consistently high standard is the hardest thing there is,” Arokodare philosophised.
