Southampton centre-forward Paul Onuachu is closing in on a loan move to Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor after moving to England just eight months ago, according to The Daily Mail.
The Saints were in a relegation dogfight midway through the 2022/23 campaign and splashed the cash during the January transfer window as a last-ditch attempt to retain survival status in the Premier League.
Onuachu was one of the many players that were brought to St. Mary’s, having joined from Belgian giants Genk for £18 million with an astronomical goalscoring record. In 134 appearances with Genk, the 29-year-old scored 85 goals, including 35 in 43 games during the 2020/21 season.
Unfortunately, it never quite clicked with Southampton as Onuachu has failed to score a single goal throughout his time with the Saints and now it looks as though Onuachu is heading out the exit door, albeit on a temporary basis.
Onuachu has been left out of Russell Martin’s plans this season and his only appearance came in a 3-1 defeat away at Gillingham in the EFL Cup first round.
Southampton did attempt to agree a swap deal with Genk which would have seen the Nigeria international return to the Cegeka Arena with Joseph Paintsil heading to the South Coast, as was reported by Sacha Tavolieri. However, the transfer never came to fruition.
Turkey’s transfer window remains open until September 15th, meaning Trabzonspor still have six days to reach an agreement with Southampton for the loan signing of Onuachu.
Writer’s View
This is a good move for Onuachu but not one that really benefits Southampton unless an option-to-buy clause is inserted in the loan deal.
Onuachu is an excellent number ‘9’ but it just hasn’t worked for him in English football so it would be in his best interest to move elsewhere in order to get his career back on track.