Tolu Arokodare has enjoyed a brilliant start at Ajax and has quickly become a crucial player for Michel Sanchez's team.

Tolu, who joined Ajax on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer, has scored nine goals in 14 appearances in all competitions this season, with five of those goals coming in the Eredivisie.

The Nigerian striker has scored two goals in his last two games. Against Atalanta, he came on as a substitute and put Ajax 1-0 up in the 87th minute; shortly after, he assisted Abdellah Ouazane's goal to make it 2-0. Against Sparta Rotterdam, he put Ajax 1-2 up with a very composed finish.

While Tolu is shining, Marcos Leonardo, who joined Ajax from Al Hilal for just under €20 million in the summer, has struggled for form. That being said, he does have a lot of potential, and he and Tolu are both very different types of strikers, which allows Michel to be tactically flexible. Tolu is a target man who is exceptionally strong in duels, while Leonardo likes to attack the space and make runs in behind.

In the deal agreed between Ajax and Wolverhampton Wanderers for Tolu, the Amsterdammers included a buy option which allows the club to sign him permanently for a fee in the region of €20 million.

After Ajax's win over Atalanta, Tolu himself said that he was very open to the prospect of staying in Amsterdam permanently, and revealed that he planned on holding talks with Jordi Cruijff over his future.

However, signing the striker on a permanent basis will not be easy for Ajax. Speaking on the AD Voetbal Podcast, journalist Johan Inan revealed that the financial demands of a deal to sign Tolu permanently will be challenging for Ajax to meet, but qualifying for the Champions League could make a big difference.

"Ajax has an option of twenty million, but that is going to be a very difficult story," Inan said, speaking on Tolu.

"Especially if Ajax doesn't reach the Champions League. If you do reach the Champions League, then you know you'll rake in tens of millions. Then you might be able to exercise those kinds of options. But then you have to stretch yourself very far. That will again come at the expense of the rest of the transfer budget, so I wonder if it will work out." 

Tolu has been exceptional this season, and signing him permanently would give Michel's team a significant boost going into next season. That being said, he will be quite expensive and if Leonardo can find his best form and score 15 or more goals between now and the end of the season, the need to spend big on Tolu decreases.

Leonardo is doing a lot right, but he simply has next to no confidence in front of goal. It should just hopefully be a matter of scoring one goal before he regains confidence and starts scoring more frequently.

Even if Leonardo reaches his best form, finding a way to keep Tolu should be a top priority for Ajax. Both strikers give Michel very different qualities.