Premier League Striker Explains Why He Was Dropped From Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 Squad by Eric Chelle
- Tolu Arokodare says poor form and limited minutes made him miss Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- The Wolves striker admits fierce competition from Osimhen, Onuachu and Akor Adams played a role
- Arokodare hopes his improved performances will earn him a recall to the Super Eagles in March
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Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare has opened up on why he missed out on Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, admitting the decision made sense given his form and limited minutes at club level.
Nigeria, led by Eric Chelle, had a good tournament although the team failed to add to their already three AFCON titles in Morocco after finishing third in the competition.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles defeated heavyweights like Tunisia and Algeria en route to the semi-final of the tournament, where they lost on penalties to host Morocco.
Led by Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams, Nigeria finished the tournament as the highest scoring team with 14 goals, proof that Chelle selected the best strikers.
Arokodare, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer after an impressive spell with Genk, was initially named in Nigeria’s provisional list but failed to make the final cut for the tournament in Morocco, where Nigeria went on to win bronze.
Arokodare admits omission was expected
Speaking to Counter Attack, Arokodare revealed that he had already prepared himself mentally after a disappointing appearance against DR Congo in the World Cup qualifying playoffs.
"To be very honest, I knew not anybody telling me. Since that Congo game because I would be very honest," he said.
"That Congo game, the way I came on and off, and the way the result went, I don't want to talk about the chance I missed because anybody can miss a chance. I obviously was trying to score."
The 25-year-old explained that he took a realistic view of his situation, acknowledging that he was not playing regularly enough for Wolves at the time to justify selection.
"The way my last game went with the national team wasn't really the best and the way the season was going with Wolves. I wasn't playing as many minutes, I am like, Tolu be realistic, if you're the coach, would you call yourself?" he added.
Strong competition in Super Eagles attack
Arokodare further pointed to the intense competition in Nigeria’s striking department as a major factor behind his exclusion.
Source: Getty Images
The Wolves forward pointed to the presence of established stars such as Osimhen and Onuachu, alongside in-form attackers like Adams.
"Look at the strikers, there was Osimhen, Onuachu, who was the top scorer in Turkey ahead of Osimhen, who is our top scorer in the national team," Arokodare said.
"There is Akor Adams, who is having a very good run with the national team, he was doing very well playing alongside Osimhen."
He further explained that several forwards were in a similar position to him.
"So, it was between me, Dessers, Moffi, and Boniface, who were in the same situation as me and he was struggling with fitness."
Since then, Arokodare has worked to rebuild his form at Wolves, earning more minutes as the club battles relegation. He has now made 23 appearances this season, scoring two goals, as seen on Transfermarkt.
Arokodare remains hopeful that his recent improvement will not go unnoticed by the national team selectors.
Arokodare sends message to critics
In another development, Legit.ng reported that Tolu Arokodare has sent a message to his critics after opening his goal account for English club Wolverhampton.
The Nigerian striker came off the bench in the second half and found the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Everton in the EFL Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
