Tolu Arokodare: 3 factors that stopped Nigerian from joining elite Ajax goal club

Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare’s chase to join Patrick Kluivert, Luis Suárez, Brian Brobbey and Michael Laudrup in an elite Ajax goal-scoring club officially ended at Fortuna Sittard on September 12, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 25-year-old joined Ajax on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2026 with an option for the Amsterdam club to make the move permanent for €22 million.

Arokodare scored in each of his first two Eredivisie starts against Telstar and PSV, sitting one goal away from joining an exclusive Ajax history circle.

Dutch outlet Voetbal International flagged the Nigerian’s opportunity to join Kluivert (who scored in each of his first six Ajax starts after his 1994 breakthrough), Brobbey (five consecutive scoring starts in 2022), Suárez (three straight in 2007), Michael Laudrup (four in 1997), David Neres (three in 2017) and Brian Laudrup (three in 1999).

The Fortuna Sittard fixture was the specific chance to write his name onto the list, but he did not take it.

Tolu Arokodare: 3 factors that stopped him from joining Ajax’s elite scoring club

1. He missed a golden chance

During Ajax’s 5-1 away win over Fortuna Sittard, Arokodare unleashed a powerful header that crashed the crossbar, and debutant Thilo Kehrer was perfectly positioned to head home the rebound to make it 2-1 to the Amsterdam side.

That sequence captures the tactical role Arokodare has been asked to play by head coach Míchel Sánchez.

The Nigerian’s aerial reach and physical presence in the box are being used as much to unsettle defensive lines and create space for teammates as to convert directly.

Kehrer’s full debut goal was the direct product of Arokodare’s aerial threat, and the impact felt more valuable to Sánchez’s system than a Nigerian solo strike would have done.

The trade-off for Arokodare himself was that his opportunity to score in his third consecutive Eredivisie start slipped through his fingers.

2. Arokodare was subbed off

The second factor is the pattern of Sánchez’s substitution of the striker. The Ajax head coach withdrew the Nigerian in the 74th minute against Fortuna Sittard, replacing him with Kasper Dolberg to close out the fixture.

The problem for Arokodare’s record chase was that 74 minutes on the pitch against Fortuna Sittard removed a 16-minute window where he could’ve converted his chances.

Ajax scored two goals in the final 15 minutes of the match, but Arokodare was already off the pitch by then, watching as Kasper Dolberg and Youri Baas claimed the goals he’d have loved to have.

3. A fever closed the record window at Willem II

The third factor is the specific illness that ruled Arokodare out of the follow-up fixture against Willem II on Tuesday.

Sánchez confirmed the Nigerian had been battling a fever, which forced his omission from the starting eleven.

Arokodare spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench as Ajax comfortably ran out 5-1 winners without needing his services.

That specific absence formally closed the record window. Even if Arokodare had scored against Willem II as a substitute, the record specifically applied to consecutive scoring in his opening Eredivisie starts, and a substitute appearance would not have counted toward the sequence.