IKENWA NNABUOGOR wonders how much longer on-and-off Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu stays on in Belgium before he leaves Jan Cuelemans’s country for more visibility and cash he truly deserves…
It’s absurd to still have KRC Genk superstar striker Paul Onuachu hanging on in Belgium with nothing to prove again despite his incredible goals’ accounts since he pitched in at the Belgian club four seasons ago.
Belgium, one of the Europe’s biggest players’ trading posts that feeds mainstream Europe, should have long exported this Nigerian import, but the former FC Midtylland striker is still doing his thing despite all the transfer speculations linking him to mainstream Europe where exactly he belongs to.
It’s argued that many a player who used Belgium to hit more fame and cash in Europe didn’t really stay this long before they were traded for good club fortunes.
Compatriot Wilfred Ndidi, Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Benkete are some of the players who hit fortunes in the mainstream Europe springboarding Genk.
Interests have not been in short supply from bigger spenders even when Onuachu was in Denmark, but passing through Belgium to where he should belong to has hit a serious career traffic hiccup.
He refused to waste time to get to down to goal-scoring business soon after his Genk future was sorted at FC Midtylland and he’s refused to slow down forcing close watchers to wonder if there’s something Genk are not telling their world about his future.
Onuachu is still at his Genk best, notwithstanding his incredible last two season’s haul of individual honours that also saw him sweep all the individual honours available as well as breaking a 24-year Nigerian player no-win record for the prestigious Ebony Shoe Award, but it appears his future will be sorted out soon.
It was vintage Onuachu during the 2020/2021 gracious season, when he netted 33 goals in the league, as he continued to raise his bar as the most feared striker in Belgium – the feat he does so effortlessly as if defenders have willingly conceded to him to score for fun.
Last season, he scored 21 goals in the league and after a slow start this current season no thanks to injury Onuachu is back in business of scoring goals, hitting 13 goals in 14 games just before the Qatar 2022 World Cup break, to continue reminding Genk he should be trying tougher challenges in a bigger league.
His goals, a double brace and a quadruple not only shot him to the top of the scorer’s chart, but fired up Genk to the summit with mouthwatering 10 points adrift of second placed Union St. Gilloise.
At 28, Onuachu, with a good, intimidating height to complement his scoring ability, should be gunning for club and individual honours in England, Italy or France for the right fees, to put gloss to his exciting career.
This is the right age to hit England and the likes with the maturity coupled with general awareness to do his thing on a larger scale.
In truth, Onuachu got nothing to prove again in Belgium and needs bigger challenges in the mainstream Europe to enjoy himself and improve his bank balances.
It’s understandable why Genk are still keeping him – Onuachu’s goals haven’t fetched them their fifth Belgian First Division A league title since their last effort in the 2018/2019 season and they are fighting hard to wrestle the title from Club Brugge.
Perhaps, Onuachu will help them achieve that this season and thereafter should gladly let him go, finally, for good, and of course, for the right fee.
It will be a win-win situation for both Onuachu and Genk as he will eventually leave more matured, more tactically aware to continue doing his thing.
For a striker Genk acquired for €6 million and currently valued at €15 million, the four-time Belgian champions will eventually sell at a profit and bring in a cheaper replacement.
Genk will definitely miss Onuachu when he leaves the Limburg Province most probably this summer.
