Tolu Arokodare says he’s “hungry” for his opportunity to show Wolves supporters what he’s about on Wednesday evening.
The striker scored in the previous round of the Carabao Cup against Everton and will now hope head coach Vitor Pereira will tweak his side for the visit of Chelsea and give the Nigerian his chance from the start.
The 24-year-old has come off the bench in the past four Premier League matches since that Toffees success, and knowing his side are in a difficult moment, he’s hoping a positive evening in the cup can provide momentum for the league campaign.
On Chelsea up next in the cup
“Obviously, it's not going to be an easy game because of the team and the stage we are in the tournament, and also because of our previous results in the league, but so far in the Carabao Cup we've been doing pretty good, and we're going to try to continue that.
“It is nice to take our minds off the Premier League a little bit and focus on something else, but it’s still football, and we're going to try to do what we've been doing so far in the tournament, and that's winning. It's a home game, and hopefully our fans are going to be behind us, as they've been throughout the whole season, and we're going to come out with the win.”
On building some positive momentum
“We've been very unlucky in the last minutes of the league, but in the Carabao Cup hopefully we can keep getting the wins and keep progressing into the next rounds. Everyone sees that we're fighting until the end, and at the end we’re getting unlucky. I know it must be frustrating for the fans, not at least getting three points. We know it's not easy and it's very frustrating for us because it affects our confidence, it affects how we go into the next game.
“We’re trying to be strong, trying to stay together as a team, because that's the only thing we can do now, stay together, help each other and continue fighting, because we can't give up now, the season is still long, the league is still very open.”
On the passion of the group
“You see how we go into every game. Lots of the goals we scored have come from midfielders, defenders, which shows everyone is doing what they can do to help the team to progress to win. We're fighting as one, playing as one, trying to win as one. If we're losing, we're losing as one. We're just going to keep trying to do that from now until the end of the season.”
On being desperate for his chance
“I’m very hungry. Obviously, it's not easy. Being on the pitch, you have to deserve it. You have to earn it. Even if I had gotten a lot of minutes, I think the few minutes that I've got, I've earned it. I’m just going to keep fighting and working to get more. The coach knows what he's doing.
“We have proper conversations, so I'm aware of the process, and I'm taking it in, I'm being patient, and I'm learning while I'm outside, and every minute that I get, I try to use and learn something from it. It’s part of the game, it's part of the process. It's a new space, new area for me, and I just have to be patient, and if I do get to play tomorrow, I'll try to use my opportunity, enjoy myself, help the team, and hopefully we win and hopefully I score again.”
On scoring against Everton
“It does give a little bit of confidence, and it also does put me under a little bit of pressure, because everyone is expecting a goal again, and that's part of the job, so I have to deliver, I have to score. I can handle that pressure, and I just have to hope the chances come, and I have to hope that I take it.”
On playing alongside Strand Larsen
“The first time we played alongside each other was against Leeds. It wasn't easy, because that was the first time we ever even played on the same team, because he’d just came back from injury. So, we didn't really train together for long, and it didn't go as smooth as we thought it would.
“The Sunderland game you could see there was a little bit of a connection and understanding, and that's after weeks of training together, understanding each other, seeing each other's different style of play. He played more of like a number 10 behind me, because that's his understanding and reading of the game, and that's something that we both can provide. If that opportunity comes, we use it like that and play like that. If it doesn't come, then we have to focus and play whatever style the manager wants us to play.”
Midweek @Carabao_Cup action at Molineux. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/NXsP6PPlpb
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 27, 2025
On changing the mindset
“Getting the win against a team like Chelsea would be a huge confidence boost for us, because it would send a message to other teams, and it also send a message to us in our heads mentally, if you can beat a team like Chelsea, then you can obviously do it in the league too. So, we're going to focus on trying to get the win, and then change our focus back to the league, because the game after Chelsea is a very important game too.”
