During the summer transfer window, Ajax signed two strikers, Marcos Leonardo and Tolu Arokodare.

Given the fact that Leonardo cost around €20 million, many assumed he would be Michel Sanchez's first choice striker, but things have gone differently.

Leonardo has had a very poor start to the season and has only played 17 minutes in Ajax's last four games. He spent the entirety of the games against Fortuna Sittard, Willem II and Excelsior on the bench.

Ajax were reportedly open to selling Kasper Dolberg during the summer, but the Danish forward was in excellent form before the international break. He suffered an injury during the international break and will be sidelined for an extended period, but Dolberg was higher in the pecking order than Leonardo before he suffered the injury.

While Leonardo has been poor, Tolu has had a brilliant start to the season, scoring seven goals in 10 games in all competitions so far. He has established himself as Ajax's first-choice striker.

The Nigerian scored an excellent header to put Ajax 1-0 ahead against NEC Nijmegen on Saturday night at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. That goal was not enough for the three points. The visitors levelled the score through a penalty, and Ajax failed to find a winner afterwards.

Perr Schuurs, who played for Ajax from 2018 to 2022, returned to the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Saturday with NEC Nijmegen. The former Ajax defender started the game and played 72 minutes.

In an interview with De Telegraaf, Schuurs talked about how impressed he was by the Ajax striker.

"I had already expected a lot, but when the match started, it was actually even more than I had thought beforehand," Schuurs said about playing against Tolu.

"Not only in terms of power, but also in terms of intelligence. I knew he was big and strong, but he can also jump incredibly high. You don't often see that combination of height, timing, and power. I think he is a real asset to the Eredivisie."

Schuurs played for Torino in the Serie A, but says that not even there did he play against a striker like Tolu.

"I played in the Eredivisie for four years, and I haven't come across a striker like that yet. And in Italy, you don't see this type often either.

"People mention Lukaku, but that is a different type of player. Tolu wants the ball on his chest or in the air more often."

There is still a long way to go in the season, but Ajax need to be thinking about signing Tolu permanently in the summer. The Amsterdammers included a buy option in the deal, allowing them to sign him permanently next summer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Tolu has almost everything you would want in a striker, and centre-backs in the Eredivisie are struggling to defend against him. He may well finish the season as the Eredivisie's top goal scorer. 

Leonardo has shown throughout his career that he is a very capable striker, and he would be a very important player for Ajax if he can rediscover his best form. That being said, it is going to take something special for the Brazilian forward to establish himself as Ajax's first-choice striker if Tolu continues in his current form.