Tolu Arokodare has joined Ajax on loan from Wolves for the 2026-27 season, with the Amsterdam club holding an option to make the move permanent next summer (Ajax; Wolves).

The deal runs until the summer of 2027, giving both player and club a full season to assess the fit before any long-term commitment.

It has been a difficult year for the 25-year-old Nigeria international. Wolves signed him from Belgian side Genk in September 2025 for £24 million on a four-year contract, after he had scored 31 league goals in 79 appearances for the Belgian club (BBC Sport). The Premier League move did not go to plan. Arokodare managed just 3 goals in 33 league games, and Wolves were relegated to the Championship — England's second tier — at the end of that same season.

Off the pitch, things were equally choppy. He was disciplined in April following a confrontation with Wolves teammate Mateus Mane. More recently, he reportedly forced a training session to be cancelled after refusing to leave the pitch. Arokodare denied refusing to train, posting a statement on social media defending his professionalism and training standards (BBC Sport).

For Ajax, this is a calculated punt on a player who proved prolific in Belgium but never settled in England. The Amsterdam giants finished fifth in the Eredivisie — the Netherlands' top division — last season, their lowest league placing in years. They will enter the Europa Conference League in 2026-27 if they come through the play-offs, the qualifying rounds that decide the final spots in European competition (BBC Sport).

Arokodare's record at Genk suggests there is a striker in there. His three goals for Wolves suggest the Premier League's pace and physicality — or perhaps the circumstances around the club — did not suit him. Ajax will hope that a different environment, a slower league, and a fresh start unlock the player who tore through Belgian defences.

For Wolves, the loan removes a difficult situation from the dressing room without closing the door on a permanent exit fee. For Arokodare, it is a chance to rebuild a reputation that took a battering in the West Midlands — and to remind people why Wolves paid £24 million for him less than a year ago.