English football pundit and passionate Southampton fan Martin Sanders has urged the Saints to seek other alternatives in the striking department, insisting that he remains unconvinced of Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu’s suitability to the EFL Championship, Footynaija.com reports.
Sanders’ advice comes in the wake of Southampton’s official relegation from the Premier League and imminent return to English football’s second tier division. A dismal record of 2 wins, 4 draws and 26 defeats from 32 League matches was enough to seal their fate.
Ahead of the Saints’ return to the EFL Championship, one player that has come under the spotlight is Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu. The towering center forward has endured a disappointing career at St. Mary’s since his arrival in the 2023 winter window.
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Onuachu has managed only four goals and one assist in 37 games with all of his goals coming this season. Despite growing optimism that a drop to the Championship could be the spark the Nigerian needs, Sanders doesn’t believe he is the right man to lead the line for Southampton next season.
“Do I think he could cut it in the Championship? It’s a good question, and I’m not sure, you know,” he said in quotes revealed by Football League World.
“From what I’ve seen of him at times this year, he isn’t that mobile, and you would need a manager to play to his strengths if he was going to do well in the Championship.
“It’s dependent on the manager really. A lot of people think that he could drop down and do a job in the Championship; I’m not convinced.
“I think that there’s got to be better options than Onuachu. If we’re resting our hopes of scoring goals next season on Tall Paul then we’ve got a bit of a problem.”
Onuachu has recently been linked with a move to Turkey where he enjoyed a successful loan spell with Trabzonspor last season. It will be interesting to see how his future pans out this summer.
