‘Why Are They Playing Here Then’ – Question On Wolves Loan Star Posed By Ex-Boss | OneFootball

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Former Dutch international and boss Willem van Hanegem has expressed his disagreement with Excelsior boss Ruben den Uli’s assessment of Wolves star Tolu Arokodare and former Leeds United target Julian Brandt.

In the summer, it was suggested that Leeds United were in an advantageous position to sign ex-Borussia Dortmund star Brandt on a free transfer, but they ultimately missed out on him.

Brandt joined Ajax signing a three-year deal and he is playing alongside Wolves loanee Arokodare, who also moved to the Dutch giants on loan following a poor campaign with the Midlands outfit last season.

Brandt scored on his Eredivisie debut coming off the bench for Ajax, showcasing what Leeds are missing and Wolves star Arokodare has been in tremendous form for them, with ex-De Godenzonen star Marciano Vink drawing a comparison to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Arokodare and Brandt both found the back of the net against Excelsior last weekend and Den Uli heaped praise on both players and dubbed the Wolves loanee ‘a cheat code’ in the Eredivisie.

However, Van Hanegem does not agree with Den Uli’s assessment and asked if Brandt and Arokodare were really that good, then why are they playing in Eredivisie.

Although he admits that both Arokodare and Brandt are good players, he finds it strange because if Den Uli is right, then they should be playing for bigger clubs than Ajax.

“That makes absolutely no sense, of course”, Van Hanegem said on Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur.

“Why are they playing here then?

“They are good players.

“But it is strange that they are not playing for bigger clubs.”

Leeds also failed to sign Marseille’s Igor Paixao and in order to strengthen their attacking department, they brought in Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who commentator Adam Pope claimed as a shrewd signing for the Whites.

It could well be the case now that Brandt finishes his career without having played in the Premier League, which many fans could feel would be a shame.

Ajax have an option to make Wolves star Arokodare’s move to Amsterdam permanent and he has already made eight goal contributions in nine games.