Tolu Arokodare has continued his encouraging start to life at Ajax, providing an assist just minutes after coming off the bench as the Dutch giants opened their Eredivisie campaign with a 2-0 victory away to PEC Zwolle on Sunday.
The Nigeria international was introduced in the 73rd minute and needed only three minutes to make an impact, setting up Jorthy Mokio for the opening goal as Ajax began their league campaign with three points.
Arokodare had started the match on the bench, with Abdellah Ouazane making way for him when Ajax turned to the Nigerian striker in the second half. His introduction quickly paid dividends as he linked up with Mokio to give the visitors the breakthrough.
Ajax eventually secured the victory deep into stoppage time when Julian Brandt added a second, with Mika Godts providing the assist.
The appearance marked Arokodare’s first Eredivisie outing since joining Ajax on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.
It also continued a remarkably quick start for the 25-year-old, who had already opened his Ajax account before playing his first competitive league match for the club.
Arokodare scored on his Ajax debut in a 3-1 pre-season victory over FC Volendam, coming off the bench and finding the net after capitalising on a miscued clearance inside the penalty area.
His goal against Volendam came after he replaced Marcos Leonardo in the 71st minute, while his assist against Zwolle showed another side of his game as he created an opportunity for a teammate rather than finishing the move himself.
The Nigerian will now be hoping his contributions can earn him a starting opportunity as the season gathers pace.
READMORE: Super Eagles star Christantus Uche speaks after injury ends 2026/27 season
His next chance could come on Thursday when Ajax travel to Ireland to face Shelbourne in the second leg of their Europa Conference League third qualifying round tie, before they return to Eredivisie action at home against Heerenveen next Sunday.
Arokodare’s arrival in Amsterdam followed a difficult spell at Wolves, where his time at Molineux ended amid a dispute over his conduct in training as he sought a move away from the club.
The striker rejected the accusation that he had refused to train, insisting in a statement at the time that he had always maintained professional standards throughout his career.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
His move to Wolves had come in September 2025, when the English club signed him from Genk for a reported £24m on a four-year contract.
The Belgian side had benefited from Arokodare’s goalscoring form, with the striker scoring 31 league goals in 79 appearances before making the move to England.
