Tolu Arokodare scored his debut goal for the Super Eagles in Nigeria’s friendly clash against Russia in June…
Former Genk and Belgium midfielder Steven Defour has praised Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare for his mental strength amidst his ongoing transfer saga, Socccernet.ng reports.
The 24-year-old was the Belgian Pro League top scorer for the 2024/2025 season, and was promised a move away from Genk by the club hierarchy.
However, Arokodare’s future is still up in the air, and his next club is unknown, as he’s been linked to several clubs, but nothing concrete has surfaced.
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While the Super Eagles star was promised a move to a bigger club, South Korean forward Hyeon-gyu Oh, was promised the number nine role under Thorsten Fink.
This has seen Tolu accept a substitute’s role while Oh eyes his goal record from last season. Arokodare has also expressed his displeasure about the transfer saga, and hopes it’ll be resolved before the transfer window closes.
Defour lauds Arokodare‘s strength
Defour played over 30 games for Genk at the start of his career, before moving on to Standard Liege in 2006, and has praised Arokodare’s mental strength amidst the chaos of uncertainty.
“For him, it is a pity that he has not been able to score, but I think he is dealing well with the situation,” the 37-year-old said in quotes revealed by Voetbal Primeur.
“He won’t hang his head. That is why it is important that he gains confidence and also starts against Poznan.
“If he can find his scoring touch, then he may leave completely,” Defour concluded.
Napoli keep moving for new striker after Romelu Lukaku injury and today made contact with Tolu Arokodare’s camp.
He’s valued at €20/25m by Genk after being top scorer last season in Belgium.
Follows moves for Højlund on Monday as Napoli are exploring the strikers market. pic.twitter.com/V2OoEy91C7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2025
Napoli are the latest club to show interest in the former FC Koln striker. Still, he might be sceptical about a move to Italy following the previous treatment of his national teammate Victor Osimhen.