Report: European club willing to re-sign Southampton flop in January due to…

Former manager Nathan Jones recommended Southampton sign Paul Onuachu, who was in great form at Genk, in an £18 million move. Onuachu had enjoyed four successful seasons with the Belgian Pro League side, making him an attractive option to solve Southampton’s scoring issues. However, he struggled to adapt to the physicality and pace of the Premier League and failed to score for Southampton.

Onuachu was loaned out to Trabzonspor in Turkey, where he regained his form, scoring 14 goals in the league. While a permanent move away from Southampton seemed mutually beneficial, no deal was reached with Trabzonspor or newly promoted Goztepe. With Southampton struggling for goals and facing league defeats, manager Russell Martin recently brought Onuachu back into his plans.

European club interested in signing Southampton forward in January

Martin used Onuachu as a substitute in a match against Arsenal, where the striker made a positive impact as a number nine. However, unless he can replicate his goal-scoring prowess in the coming months, a January exit remains a possibility. According to *Turkish Football*, Trabzonspor is interested in re-signing the 30-year-old on a permanent deal this January.

Trabzonspor’s interest is driven by their own scoring struggles, having managed only seven goals in seven league matches this season. Despite being unbeaten, they sit tenth in the Turkish league with one win and six draws and have been knocked out of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Manager Senol Gunes sees Onuachu as a reliable goal scorer and is preparing to make an official bid.

Although Southampton is also facing offensive challenges, they are likely to negotiate with Trabzonspor over Onuachu’s potential departure. It remains to be seen if the striker will leave during the January transfer window for a substantial fee, midway through the 2024/25 season.