The Super Eagles striker used this past season in the Turkish Super Lig to turn around his nightmare in the Premier League with Southampton the previous campaign.
Paul Onuachu 😬 🥰 pic.twitter.com/rULS9MB2le
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) May 21, 2024
The Premier League was the dream destination for the giant striker after he scored goals for fun for Genk in Belgium season after season.
However, it all went horribly wrong as he failed to score in a dozen appearances for Southampton, who were also relegated from the top English league.
Redemption came in the form of a loan deal to Turkish club Trabzonspor.
The 30-year-old Onuachu fired 15 goals and made four assists for Trabzonspor to finish third in the Super Liga.
He was a constant danger in the air upfront for one of the traditional clubs in Turkey.
One of his goals was a scorpion-kick goal as he back heeled the ball with his back to goal against Konyaspor in November.
He also banged a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Gaziantep in April.
Trabzonspor will as a result feature in the UEFA Europa League in the coming season.
Onuachu also scored twice as the club reached the final of the Turkish Cup.
It is therefore not surprising that Trabzonspor now wish to prolong his stay after the end of his loan spell from Southampton, where he still has two more years left on his contract.
They plan a Super Eagles strike force that will also include fans’ favourite Anthony Nwakaeme, who at the grand old age of 35 they have lured back from Saudi Arabia on a year’s contract.
Onuachu’s goals in Turkey handed him a late call-up to the AFCON early this year even though he mainly played a bit role as the Super Eagles soared all the way to the final of the tournament in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
In June, he also featured in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin, but has yet to add to his three goals since his Super Eagles debut in March 2019.
