Super Eagles and Trabzonspor striker Paul Onuachu has explained why his Southampton spell failed, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria international points to three major factors including the January transfer, uncertainty over the club’s system and frequent changes of coaches as being responsible for his struggles with the Saints.
Onuachu made the comments in an interview with Trabzonspor Magazine, reflecting on a difficult period that saw him score no Premier League goals for Southampton before moving to Turkey.
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January move left little room to settle for Super Eagles star
Onuachu, who has a special connection with Man United, said the first problem was the timing of his move to England.
The 6ft 7in striker joined Southampton from Genk on 1 February 2023 after scoring 17 goals in 22 appearances for the Belgian club that season.
He arrived at a Southampton side already fighting to avoid relegation and admitted he knew the club had roughly a ’50-50 chance’ of staying in the Premier League.
“There are times in football when things don’t go well. For me, the Southampton period was like that. First of all, the transfer happened in January,” Onuachu said.
“I haven’t regretted any of the decisions I’ve made, but sometimes there are questions you need to ask before signing with a team.”
Onuachu made 11 Premier League appearances after joining Southampton but finished the campaign without a goal.
The system did not suit Onuachu
The Super Eagles forward also believes he should have studied Southampton’s playing style more carefully before accepting the move.
“You need to find out if their system suits you,” he said.
Onuachu had built his reputation at Genk as a prolific striker, scoring 85 goals in 134 appearances before leaving the Belgian club. Southampton signed him expecting his goals to help their survival fight.
Instead, he struggled to reproduce that form in England as Southampton eventually finished bottom of the Premier League.
“Many coaching changes and systems that didn’t suit me,” Onuachu said.
Southampton were relegated on 13 May 2023 after a 2-0 home defeat by Fulham, ending their 11-year stay in the Premier League. Onuachu started that match but was substituted after 62 minutes.
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Too many changes made things harder
Onuachu’s third explanation was the instability around the team.
He joined when Nathan Jones was manager, but Jones was dismissed in February 2023. Ruben Selles then took charge for the rest of the campaign, while Russell Martin became manager ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The striker said those changes affected his ability to find a role that suited his strengths.
“I knew the team had a 50-50 chance of staying in the league or getting relegated. But sometimes you take a risk and then you see if it works. I took the risk and it didn’t work,” he said.
“Maybe I’m making excuses, but sometimes if you want to go to a team, you need to ask and learn very, very well about the system, how things work in the team, and everything else. That’s all.”
Onuachu eventually left Southampton for Trabzonspor initially on loan and later permanently after making only 12 appearances for the English club. He scored four goals in 40 appearances during his two-and-a-half-year spell at St Mary’s.
