Galatasaray legend reveals how Onuachu was linked to Fatih Tekke’s Trabzonspor exit

Former Turkey and Galatasaray forward Tanju Colak has explained how Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu may have played a role in Fatih Tekke’s resignation as Trabzonspor head coach, Soccernet.ng reports.

Tekke resigned from his position at Trabzonspor in dramatic circumstances after a mixed start to the 2026-27 season.

The former Turkish international initially tendered his resignation following a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie in August, whicu saw Trabzonspor drop into the Conference League.

However, his resignation was not accepted by the club’s board at the time. The Black Sea Storm then suffered another setback earlier this month when they were beaten 2-1 by Amedspor, after which Tekke eventually left his position as head coach.

He had taken charge of Trabzonspor in 2025 and guided the club to the Turkish Cup title last season, with Onuachu, who joined the club permanently under his management, scoring twice in the final win over Konyaspor.

The 49-year-old has since been replaced by Huseyin Cimsir on an interim basis, and the new coach enjoyed a perfect start as Trabzonspor recorded a resounding 5-0 victory over Genclerbirligi in their first game since Tekke’s departure.

Onuachu was one of the standout players in that victory, scoring twice to finally open his account for the season after going five games without a goal across all competitions.

Tanju Colak on how Onuachu may have contributed to Tekke’s exit

Tekke had been in charge of Trabzonspor for just over a year before his departure following the club’s slow start to the new campaign.

However, Turkish football legend Colak believes Onuachu’s lack of goals at the beginning of the season was one of the factors that contributed to Trabzonspor’s poor results and also to Tekke’s exit.

Speaking about Onuachu’s performance in the 5-0 win over Genclerbirligi, Colak suggested that the striker’s form had a direct effect on the coach’s situation.

“This is a matter of reaction-effect. The footballer is the result of the problem between the teacher. They defeated Genclerbirligi 5-0, who defeated Fenerbahce. Paul Onuachu took the stage again”, the ex-Galatasaray forward said.

“If the football player plays badly and does not score a goal, he writes to the coach. Onuachu, if he scored those goals, Fatih Tekke was still on duty. I think he resigned early”, he added.

Onuachu is a doubt for Trabzonspor’s clash against Konyaspor later today as he continues to recover from an injury which he picked up in the win over Genclerbirligi, with the club unlikely to risk him if he is not fully fit.