Sport Republic may begin to rectify a significant transfer blunder from last year, as a sale has been agreed upon even with the UK transfer window closed.
The January 2023 transfer period will likely be recalled with regret at Southampton, as Sport Republic demonstrated the detrimental effects of panic buying on the club.
As the Saints faced the threat of relegation from the Premier League, Sport Republic brought in James Bree, Carlos Alcaraz, and Mislav Orsic, culminating in a last-minute double signing of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu on Deadline Day.
Sulemana was signed for a club-record fee, while Southampton agreed to pay Genk £18 million for Onuachu.
The striker hasn’t netted any goals for the club and spent the previous season on loan at Trabzonspor. After a summer of negotiations, Southampton may finally be ready to approve the sale of the 30-year-old.
Southampton agree deal with Trabzonspor for Paul Onuachu
Onuachu’s signing was unusual even back then, as the 6ft 8in striker didn’t align with Southampton’s recruitment strategy—especially since he was already 28. However, former manager Nathan Jones sought a target man, and that’s what Sport Republic delivered, only to dismiss Jones days later.
His 17 goals while on loan at Trabzonspor last season raised Southampton’s hopes of finally resolving the Onuachu transfer ordeal, but so far, nothing has come of it.
It seems a breakthrough has been made, as Turkish journalist Fikret Gul shared on X: “Trabzonspor has reached an agreement with Southampton for the transfer of Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu.
The transfer fee is €8.5 million (£7.1m), with a three-year contract.”
Southampton making significant loss on Paul Onuachu sale
Onuachu’s time at Southampton underscores the risks of signing strikers solely based on their goal performance in what are often considered Europe’s ‘lesser’ leagues.
The Nigerian netted 16 goals in 19 league matches in Belgium during the first part of the 2022/23 season before arriving at St Mary’s, where he seemed out of his depth.
Although it can be argued that Onuachu didn’t receive a fair opportunity at Southampton, he also failed to demonstrate the capability to compete in the Premier League during his appearances.
The reported fee agreed with Trabzonspor indicates how eager Sport Republic is to resolve Onuachu’s situation, as there’s no chance of him being reintegrated under Russell Martin at Southampton.
The agreed £7.1 million transfer fee reflects a 60% drop from the £18 million Sport Republic spent on him from Genk just 20 months ago, marking this as one of the most regrettable signings in recent Southampton history.
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