The Southampton squad at the end of the summer transfer window could look very different to the one at Russell Martin’s disposal right now.
The likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Adam Lallana and Ronnie Edwards have arrived but it is expected that The Saints will make further moves between now and September 1st.
Furthermore, there are numerous players currently at St Mary’s who might not be two months from now. Armell Bella-Kotchap and Carlos Alcaraz are back on the banks of the Solent after hit-and-miss loan spells at PSV Eindhoven and Juventus but may be keen to move on permanently.
Then there is Che Adams.
Amid interest from Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton reportedly hope to tie him down to a new deal but whether they succeed remains to be seen, per BBC Sport.
And what about Paul Onuachu?
The £18 million signing from KRC Genk who, with no goals in just 12 first-team appearances, has come to typify the flawed recruitment drive of early 2023.
Paul Onuachu still expected to leave Southampton
Southampton spent heavily in a desperate attempt to secure Premier League survival with Onuachu the headline addition.
A year-and-a-half on, the 6ft 7ins centre-forward continues to feel like something of a millstone around the club’s neck, a sale proving to be difficult in the extreme with The Saints looking to recoup around £13 million.
Onuachu spent last season on loan at Trabzonspor in Turkey.
The club’s president, Ertugrul Dogan, told Sporx a few weeks ago that a return to the Black Sea was impossible as long as Southampton were demanding an eight-figure sum.
“It is not currently possible for Trabzonspor to pay a transfer fee of nearly 15 million euros, which is the club’s expectation for Paul Onuachu,” Dogan sighs.
Trabzonspor’s head coach is, however, a little more hopeful. Abdullah Avci watched Onuachu score 15 goals during his time in Turkey.
And while admitting that Trabzonspor plan to continue with an approach revolving around the talents of a 6ft-something target man, he is not willing to give up the ghost just yet with regards to the two-metre tall Nigerian powerhouse.
Trabzonspor boss still hoping for Turkey return
“Trabzonspor’s last three centre-forwards forwards were the main players and they have all been useful in this league. 15 goals each on average,” Avci tells Sporx. “(Andreas) Cornelius, Onuachu and (Alexander) Sorloth are the profiles that are suitable for our league as well.
“We are planning to continue with that profile as a centre forward. I don’t know if that would be Onuachu. The money (required to sign him) will be evaluated.
“Onuachu was successful in terms of numbers and statistics. When you look at it, he was not ready when he arrived.
“Despite that, when you look at it, he scored 15 goals.”
Onuachu was one of the most prolific centre-forwards in Europe during his time in Belgium. He scored 85 goals in 134 games for Genk, including 35 during the 2020/21 season alone.
Genk’s director of football – Dimitri de Conde – struck a similar tone to Dogan however when insisting that Onuachu’s price-tag was simply too high for a return to the Jupiler League to become a reality.
“(Re-signing Onuachu) doesn’t seem logical for us financially,” De Conde tells Het Laatste Nieuws.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
