Arokodare can be ‘unstoppable’ when Ajax play to his strengths – Wuytens

Former PSV defender Jan Wuytens says Nigeria striker Tolu Arokodare can become “unstoppable” when his team builds its attack around his physical qualities.

Arokodare joined Ajax on loan after a difficult spell in the English Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers, having previously worked with Wuytens in Belgium.

Speaking to withajax1, Wuytens said the 25-year-old’s effectiveness depends on using him in a direct system, particularly by supplying crosses into the penalty area.

Arokodare’s aerial ability, pace and strength when holding up the ball can give Ajax a focal point in attack, while also allowing midfielders and wingers to move forward around him.

“Tolu has a very special profile, he is a unique boy,” Wuytens said.

“When he came, he had to get used to our way of playing. We played a kind of Ajax football, with high pressure. He had a really hard time with that at the beginning: constantly making those sprint meters in pressing.

“But in his second season, Tolu really got loose at Genk, also because we started using him much more in his power.”

Wuytens said Arokodare became increasingly dangerous once his former club focused more on crossing and getting the ball into the box.

“We started training more on crosses, throwing balls in the box. There Tolu is just unstoppable. He is very good in air, and also quite fast, then you have to bring him into his strength,” he said.

The former PSV defender added that Arokodare also improved his understanding of the game, particularly the quick changes of possession that are common in Belgian football.

“He himself also adapted better and better, especially to the pace of the game, because there are a lot of transition moments in Belgian football,” Wuytens said.

Wuytens described Arokodare as a player who can respond particularly well when a coach establishes the right relationship and tactical framework.

“He’s a special boy. He has a kind of magic, that he can win everyone over at certain clubs. As a trainer, you really have to hit the right string with him, the perfect string, and you have to keep hitting it, to get him consistent. If you do that, you will get a killer on the field,” he said.

Wuytens also said Arokodare had not caused disciplinary problems during their time together and gradually became more productive as Genk learned how to use him.

“That’s the game you have to play with him: you want to bring him into a certain structure, in which he can also be himself. That’s interesting. With us there have never been problems with being late or things like that. And in the end he really got going. He started scoring more and more, and we started using him better and better.”

He concluded: “He is holding the ball so strong that the rest can join. If you feed him with crosses, and people walking around him, he is a very interesting player.”