‘The Most Important Player’ – Star On Fire After Southampton Exit | OneFootball

Paul Onuachu is flying at Trabzonspor following his exit from Southampton in the summer transfer window.

Saints decided to cash in on Onuachu following their relegation from the Premier League, with the striker ready to return to Turkey, where he had a productive loan spell at Trabzonspor.

Talks were lengthy, but eventually a deal was pushed over the line, with a €5.67m fee paid over four instalments, and the Nigeria striker ending his St Mary’s spell.

In his absence, Southampton are struggling to get results in the Championship and have scored just eleven times in nine games.

Saints could have cause to regret not getting the best out of Onuachu and letting him go by glancing at how he is faring in Turkey.

Onuachu has found the back of the net six times in just eight Turkish Super Lig games and Trabzonspor coach Fatih Tekke has pulled no punches over his importance.

“Onuachu is the most important player in my setup and attacking organisation”, Tekke was quoted as saying by Turkish broadcaster A Spor.

“If Onuachu is injured, we will lose strength”, he added.

Onuachu could argue he was the victim of repeated managerial changes at Southampton and was not given a proper opportunity or a team playing to his strengths to show what he could do.

He departed Saints having made a total of 40 appearances for the club, but scored just four goals.

Southampton rank as the only club that Onuachu has not scored regularly for.

The striker struck on a regular basis in Denmark, with Midtjylland and Vejle, while he was then prolific in Belgian football at Genk, scoring 85 goals in 134 outings.

Now Onuachu’s efforts have Trabzonspor sitting second in the Turkish Super Lig table and in total he has 23 goals in 33 outings for the club, taking into account his previous loan spell, to his name.