How Paul Onuachu is getting on after leaving Southampton for Turkey | OneFootball

The Nigerian frontman is the top scorer in the Turkish Super Lig at his new club, Trabzonspor

Paul Onuachu's time at Southampton was peculiar to say the least.

The Nigerian frontman was brought in on deadline day in February 2023 for £18 million from Belgian side Genk, as the Saints looked to roll the dice and throw a bit of money at improving the squad to save their Premier League status.

The then 28-year-old had netted 85 times in just 134 games for Genk, which is a more than impressive record. This included a 2020/21 campaign where he was the Jupiler Pro League top scorer, with 29 goals in 33 outings, and 16 in 19 in the first half of the 2022/23 season before his move to St Mary's.

Standing at six-foot-seven, Onuachu was an exciting arrival on paper, but his impressive goalscoring record couldn't be replicated in England, as he failed to find the back of the net in 11 Premier League appearances, resulting in Southampton's first relegation after 11 years in the top flight.

He would then be sent out on loan to Turkish side Trabzonspor the following year, as he wasn't in Russell Martin's plans. He was angling for a full-time move away the following summer, but he was integrated back into the Saints fold ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

While he managed to get on the scoresheet this time round, four times to be exact, the end result remained the same. Southampton were relegated, and Onuachu was sent to Trabzonspor — although this time on a permanent deal.

How Paul Onuachu is getting on at Trabzonspor

Indeed, the now-31-year-old was sold in the summer to the side he spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at, as Trabzonspor spent £6.8 million to bring him to the club permanently.

During that loan spell, Onuachu's goalscoring touch was rediscovered, as he netted 15 in 21 Super Lig games, helping 'Karadeniz Fırtınası' to a third-placed finish and a place in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.

Last season, without the Nigerian frontman, Trabzonspor scored 11 fewer goals as a team and finished seventh, their lowest league position since the 2015/16 campaign.

But now, with Onuachu back in the side, the 2021/22 Turkish champions are once again right in the mix for the league title, sitting four points behind leaders Galatasaray with seven games remaining.

The 31-year-old has also started scoring at an electrifying rate once more, netting 21 times in just 24 games, including a current run of 10 in nine, which puts him at the top of the Golden Boot race.

If Faith Tekke's side does manage to usurp Galatasaray atop the Süper Lig table, a lot of it would be to do with Onuachu's goals, and you'd expect him to be in the race for Player of the Season, too.

Southampton fans will always scratch their heads at Paul Onuachu's goalscoring prowess elsewhere

Right now, Southampton are thriving under Tonda Eckert, and the Saints are likely to finish inside the play-offs, despite being fourth-bottom in November when Will Still was sacked.

They're not exactly missing Onuachu, but they'll always be some disappointment that his incredible scoring record from Denmark, Belgium and, now, Turkey, couldn't translate over to England.

The 31-year-old has scored at least one every other game at every club he's been at, but his overall Southampton record reads four goals in 40 — an average of one every 10 games.

If he could have hit the ground running in 2023, perhaps Southampton would have remained in the top flight for a 12th successive year, and they wouldn't be in a position where they're hoping for a second promotion out of the Championship in the space of three seasons.

It was never to be for Onuachu at St Mary's, and he'll go down as a clearly talented striker who couldn't quite live up to his reputation in the most competitive league in the world.