On loan to Trabzonspor from Southampton, Paul Onuachu scored his first goal for his new club on Sunday September 17, 2023. The Nigerian striker is coming off the back of a disastrous experience in England, and intends to relaunch his career in Turkey this season.
Paul Onuachu, Trabzonspor's new striker
Paul Onuachu has joined Trabzonspor and is already proving decisive for his new club. Starting on his Super Lig debut, the Nigerian striker quickly won the crowd over, opening the scoring and helping his team-mates to victory over Besiktas on Matchday 5. An encouraging start for a goleador in need of confidence.
Paul Onuachu was a promising player, with some resounding performances in Belgium. With Genk, the 29-year-old scored 85 goals in 134 games. His 19 goals in half a season won over Southampton, who broke their piggy bank to recruit the 2.01-metre striker. After arriving for 18 million euros, the mayonnaise never took hold between the Nigerian and Southampton.
Interviewed by Nieuwsblad, British journalist Alfie House of the Daily Echo analyzed Paul Onuachu's failure at the Saints back in March. It was a panic buy," he observed. However, Onuachu immediately showed his worth and quickly became a starter. Particularly during the win over Chelsea, he made a very strong impression, winning many duels with his head and keeping the ball. He was the victim of a change of coach. Nathan Jones absolutely wanted him there, as Onuachu fitted in very well with his direct system with lots of long balls. But the coach was sacked a few weeks ago and replaced by his assistant, Ruben Selles.
Having played 11 games and 404 minutes for Southampton, Paul Onuachu decided at the end of the season to find a new destination. It was FC Metz who showed the greatest interest, following the loss of striker Georges Mikautadze, and the Grenats were close to concluding a loan deal, but the deal fell through at the last minute. In the end, it was Trabzonspor who snatched the jackpot before the end of the Turkish market. His first league goal for his new club was the start of a new chapter. Now back in Turkey, Paul Onuachu is quickly settling into his new surroundings, with the aim of extending his loan with a permanent transfer.
