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Mike Verweij has high expectations of Tolu Arokodare, as he made clear in Kick-Off from De Telegraaf. Ajax want to sign the Nigerian striker on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a season.
Verweij says Ajax are pushing for a non-mandatory option to buy worth between €18 million and €20 million. The English club signed Arokodare from KRC Genk last year for €26 million.
"If he does really well, then you can buy a Premier League striker for eighteen million euros. Just imagine if he scores 25. I do not want to say it is not money, but then it is not very expensive," Verweij says as he analyses Ajax's interest.
Should he fail to deliver, Ajax can simply walk away at the end of the season. "And if he does not function, then you say at the end of the season: thank you and goodbye," said the Ajax watcher, who knows the club are looking for strikers. "Weghorst has of course left for FC Twente. And it is an open secret that Dolberg wants to return to Denmark. That will probably happen."
In Verweij's view, Arokodare could become a sensation in the Netherlands. "Ajax were very vulnerable at set-pieces. Bring him back and he heads everything away."
He also believes the forward would give Ajax a more intimidating presence up front. "This is a striker who can strike fear into opponents. He is not very refined. But I do think he is a player who will scare a lot of Eredivisie defenders to death," Verweij says in describing the attacker wanted by Ajax.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Ajax will pay the striker's full salary and also a loan fee. Other journalists quickly confirmed that news.
Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports reports that the loan fee amounts to £1 million. "And if Ajax qualify for European football (the Conference League, ed.), Wolves will receive another £500,000 or so."