“I have always followed the Premier League, watching it week in week out, seeing the games. It’s a whole different ball game, the intensity, the duels. Every player dreams of playing in the Premier League, and of course I’m happy to be here.”
These were the exact words of Paul Onuachu when he moved to Southampton on the last day of January of transfer window.
While it is difficult to judge such desire and dream, the decision is either going to make or mah the career of the player which in this case is the Nigeria international.
Onuachu is a goal scoring machine with a strong physical presence, an intimidating height with an admirable finishing skill set. All
off these qualities then come with two features which is hard find in any modern day striker- little or no controversy and a perfect age.
At 27 years of age, a player is believed to be fully made and potentially unbendable. At this phase of a player, there is no major potential left to be discovered or notured. So if a player (striker) at this stage has all of the aforementioned qualities, he is an undeniable asset.
Onuachu is not just an asset but a proven and tested quality with great number.
Onuachu, after moving to the Belgian team KRC Genk in 2019 scored 84 goals in 134 matches for the Smurfs. In the first part of the season alone, the striker had scored 17 goals in all competitions for his former Belgian side, Genk prior to his move to a new aboard.
With all of these attributes and numbers, choosing a club struggling in the league, rooted to the bottom of the log and changing tactics just to get a point is below Onuachu and his advisers.
Yes, the EPL is a more advanced and a dream league to many but the Nigeria international surely can go better than Southampton.
To make things worse, Southampton after their defeat to Wolves sacked their manager Nathan Jones barely two weeks after he signed his top target in Onuachu.
Although the Saints are down but not out. However, the possibility of surviving relegation is unbelievable. The good thing in all of this is that Southampton needs a goal scorer like Onuachu even though Onuachu’s choice in a delicate one.
Dare Ogun