Tolu Arokodare’s future at Wolverhampton Wanderers has taken a dramatic turn after the Nigerian striker reportedly refused to leave the training pitch when instructed to stay away from the first-team group.
Wolves training was cancelled on Monday after Arokodare defied the order from head coach Cesar Peixoto. Extra security was subsequently deployed at the club’s Compton Park training base, and the striker was left out of the squad entirely for Wednesday’s pre-season trip to Maidenhead United. The Portuguese coach, who only took charge of Wolves this summer, appears determined to set the tone early on discipline within his squad.
The incident marks another flashpoint in what has been a turbulent year for the 25 year old at Molineux. Wolves have not issued an official statement on the matter.
This is not the first time Arokodare has clashed with the Wolves hierarchy. In April, the striker was fined and dropped from the matchday squad after a dressing room altercation with teammate Mateus Mane following a heavy defeat at West Ham United.
Wolves were relegated from the Premier League at the end of that campaign, and Arokodare has been frozen out of first-team plans ever since. He was left at home when the squad travelled to Portugal for their pre-season training camp earlier this month, as the club continued to entertain offers for the forward.
Arokodare has been one of the standout Nigerian forwards playing in Europe since his move from Belgian side Genk, where he won the 2025 Ebony Shoe as the best African player in Belgian football. He has since established himself in Victor Osimhen’s absence as a regular option for the Super Eagles, and Nigerian fans will be watching his club situation closely with an eye on his fitness and match sharpness ahead of upcoming international assignments.
A prolonged standoff with his club, followed by a likely January or summer exit, could affect how much football he gets between now and Nigeria’s next fixtures. Supporters online have already begun reacting to the latest reports, with many questioning whether the move to Wolves has stalled his development rather than accelerated it.
Fiorentina remain the club most heavily linked with Arokodare, having already had a loan offer rejected by Wolves for being too low. Trabzonspor have also shown interest, though the Nigerian is understood to prefer a move to Italy. With Peixoto now publicly at odds with the striker over discipline, Wolves may come under increased pressure to resolve his situation quickly rather than let it drag into the new Championship season.
Arokodare’s immediate focus will be on training away from the group as the club decides its next move, with fresh developments in his transfer saga expected in the coming days.
