Genk are sorely missing striker Tolu Arokodare following his move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, with nobody left to score the goals they need.
That’s according to Hein Vanhaezebrouck, via Voetbalkrant, who believes that the striker’s move to Wolves has caused a big issue for the Belgian side.
Arokodare joined Vitor Pereira’s side in a €26m deal on deadline day of the summer transfer window as the Portuguese manager looked to strengthen his options amid a potential departure for Jorgen Strand Larsen.
He arrived at Molineux after an impressive few years with Genk in which he’d scored 41 goals and registered 12 assists in 113 games for them.
He’s yet to make his mark in two appearances for Wolves to date, with them still waiting for him to make an impact at Molineux. However, it seems his absence at his former club is being sorely felt.
They find themselves in a difficult place without him, currently sitting on eight points out of 24 and 14th in the table. That’s a position far below where they would expect to be, and Vanhaezebrouck believes Arokodare’s absence is a deciding factor.
“Genk hasn’t kept a clean sheet for nineteen games in a row. Nineteen games! That’s a lot for a top club. Those are the numbers of a relegated team,” he said.
“That means you have to score at least two goals every match. Genk still has a lot of possession, a lot of movement up front. Only last season, that was converted into goals more quickly, thanks to Tolu.
“Genk often scored, took the lead, and as a result, could play more relaxed, play more confidently, and drop back. That’s not possible anymore. It’s harder to score. Genk is missing Tolu.”
