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Southampton sinks: Was Paul Onuachu’s January transfer a blunder?

Super Eagles forward, Paul Onuachu, transferred from KRC Genk to Southampton during the January transfer window, but this is seen as a poor decision for the Nigerian.

With a total of 16 goals scored while in Belgium, Onuachu led the league’s top scorers’ chart. However, the Nigerian star may have picked the wrong team at the wrong moment in his quest to play in the finest league in the world.

When Onuachu led Genk in league goals with 33 in his first two seasons, he attracted attention. Despite rumours that he would leave Belgium, he stayed in Genk.

Injury prevented the former FC Midtjylland attacker from matching his goals total from the previous season, but he still scored 21 goals in the Jupiler Pro League.

Onuachu scored 16 goals this season before unexpectedly joining Premier League underdog Southampton in the January transfer window.

The attacker, who might have waited until the summer transfer window, however, may be falling into the second tier with the Saints as doom approaches for Ruben Selles’ side.

With their most recent defeat against Crystal Palace in front of the St. Mary’s faithful, the Saints remain at the bottom of the table, four points behind Everton from safety.

All hope for Onuachu’s group may be gone as they anticipate playing Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool in their remaining Premier League games.

Following the February firing of Nathan Jones as manager after eight league games, manager Ruben Selles has presided over 10 games, with Onuachu hardly starting three of them.

Meanwhile, his previous team is presently leading the Belgian Pro League, and they have a strong chance of qualifying for European competition next season even if they do not win the title.

As a result of this, one may argue that Onuachu made a hasty move that could have attracted better bidders during the next summer window.

This post was last modified on April 18, 2023 9:59 pm

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and an Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a proven track record in conducting interviews with Super Eagles stars such as William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and many others. He has also made a significant impact in breaking transfer news stories. Grounded in video editing, video journalism, social media management, and content strategy, Ayomide brings a wealth of expertise to his work. With a Bachelor's degree in English Language from Adeyemi College of Education and a Master's Degree in School Library and Media Technology from the University of Ibadan, Ayomide is well-prepared to excel in the field.

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