Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Tolu Arokodare forced the cancellation of a training session after refusing to leave the pitch, demanding that the club grant him a move to Serie A side Fiorentina.
BBC Sport understands that the 25-year-old Nigeria international staged a sit-in during Monday’s session, prompting newly appointed manager César Peixoto to call an early end to the training.
The incident stems from a transfer standoff: Wolves have rejected Fiorentina’s bid for the forward, having already accepted an offer from Turkish club Trabzonspor. Following the disruption, Arokodare was left out of the squad for Wednesday’s pre-season friendly against Maidenhead United.
Responding to the reports, Arokodare took to social media on Wednesday evening to defend his professionalism:
“Throughout my career, I have always taken great pride in conducting myself professionally and maintaining the highest training standards. My commitment has always been to prepare myself as well as possible so that I can contribute to my team-mates and the club whenever I am called upon.
“I remain under contract with Wolves, and my only intention is to fulfil my responsibilities professionally by training, doing my job, and contributing to the team in accordance with that contract.”
This latest disruption marks another controversial chapter in Arokodare’s tenure at Molineux. In April, the forward was disciplined following an altercation with teammate Mateus Mané.
Arokodare joined Wolves from Genk last summer in a £24m deal but struggled to make an impact, scoring just three league goals as Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League and were relegated.
The situation presents an immediate test for Peixoto, who took charge just weeks ago in a surprise move replacing Rob Edwards. The 46-year-old former Portugal international joined from Gil Vicente and faces the challenge of steering Wolves back to the top flight at the first attempt.
