'In the Afcon, we lose players' - Wolves boss on striker search amid links with Arokodare

Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Vitor Pereira faced the media on Friday ahead of his side's Premier League fixture against Everton at Molineux, where he was quizzed on whether the club intends to strengthen its attacking options before the summer transfer window closes.

With the window coming to and end, Wolverhampton Wanderers have been heavily linked with a move for Racing Genk striker Tolu Arokodare, who finished last season as the Jupiler Pro League top scorer with 21 goals in 40 matches.

Pereira acknowledged that Wolves are actively considering options in the forward department to safeguard against potential squad shortages during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Marshall Munetsi and Tawanda Chirewa (Zimbabwe), Emmanuel Agbadou (Ivory Coast) and Jackson Tchatchoua (Cameroon) are all expected to be called up for the tournament, which runs from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026. 

Should Arokodare complete a move, he too could be away on international duty with Nigeria.

"Since the beginning, the club has known very well what we need to balance the squad, to anticipate the time of the Afcon, because in the Afcon we lose players," Vitor Pereira told reporters. 

"This is the moment we need to prepare for, to anticipate the scenario, a moment to think about everything, and the club is trying.

"I believe that we can do it until the last minute. From my experience in football, I've had some funny stories where we lost the best player in the last minute, and in the last minute we kept the best player.

"I'm not thinking only about myself but about all the managers. I hope that when the window closes, we’re okay – this is my squad, this is my team. We are here to be focused."

Arokodare was left out of Genk's squad for Thursday's Europa League playoff second leg against Lech Poznań, fueling speculation of an imminent transfer.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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