Anderlecht will be an ideal step up for Tolu Arokodare and after which he could be banging goals in the Premier League, according to a football expert in Latvia.
Arokodare has long been linked to Anderlecht, but his Latvian club Valmiera FC have blocked the move thus far after insisting Anderlecht pay 2 million Euros, 500,000 Euros more than the offer they reportedly tabled.
The tall striker has scored 15 goals in as many league matches this season and Latvian football journalist Edmunds Novickis knows a great deal about him.
A transfer to Anderlecht will be great for Arokodare, said Novickis.
“The physical playing style in Belgium is perfect for him. In a few years he could go one step further, a top-5 league is possible. I am thinking of England or Germany, Spain seems to be a little less suited to him,” he said.
The journalist will compare him to the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“With his 1.95m he is very strong physically, it is very difficult to get him off the ball. He also combines that physical presence with technical qualities”, Novickis reported.
“It is of course another level, but they have a similar playing style. Although Arokodare has a slightly more physical style, he dribbles less than Zlatan and also delivers the ball faster.
“Many of his goals come from very fast touches, usually has he doesn’t need more than three seconds to score a goal after he gets the ball.”
However, he warned that off the pitch the striker has not been a shining example.
“On the field he is very mature for his age, off the field a little less,” he said.
“He sometimes dares to post foolish things on social media, and the way in which he tried to force a transfer has not gone down well.
“He was pressured by his agent not to train and he did not. That is not a good sign, and it means that it could happen again later at another club.”
Arokodare still has three years left on his contract in Latvia.
