Tolu Arokodare makes bold Ajax claim, targets Champions League return

Retold by Oddsrama · 20 August 2026

Tolu Arokodare is wasting no time making his ambitions clear at Ajax. The Nigerian striker, on loan from Wolverhampton this season, has declared that the Amsterdam club is Dutch football's biggest institution and belongs in the Champions League—not settling for the Conference League. Speaking to ESPN Netherlands, the 25-year-old showed the confidence Ajax's fans want to see, backing his new club's long-term European aspirations even as they navigate a tougher-than-usual path.

Ajax's current situation is a far cry from their recent glory. Finishing 5th in the Eredivisie last season means they're scrapping in the Conference League play-offs rather than competing in Europe's elite competition. Arokodare made it clear the club doesn't view the third-tier tournament as their ceiling. "With respect to the Conference League, but that's not where we want to be," he said. The message is straightforward: Ajax's target is the Champions League, and anything less is beneath the club's standing.

That said, Arokodare knows the squad's immediate job is to handle what's in front of them. They face Swiss side FC Sion in the Conference League play-offs, and qualification there is the first rung on the ladder back to continental prominence. The striker arrived in Amsterdam after impressing in Belgium and has already made a positive impression, including an assist on his Eredivisie debut. For punters watching Ajax's fortunes, this is a squad with genuine aspirations to climb back—though the Eredivisie title and Champions League qualification won't come easy given their current form and the competition around them.

Based on original reporting by Soccernet NG. Read the original at soccernet.ng →

#Ajax#Tolu Arokodare#Champions League#Eredivisie

Tolu Arokodare makes bold Ajax claim, targets Champions League return

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