Rafiu Durosinmi was still searching for the right next step after a frustrating six months at Pisa when Paul Onuachu offered him some straightforward advice, Footynaija.com reports.
Durosinmi had arrived at Pisa from Viktoria Plzen in January after making a name for himself in the Czech Republic, but things never quite clicked in Italy. He managed just one goal in 12 Serie A appearances as Pisa laboured through the second half of the season and were eventually relegated.
That left the 23-year-old facing another choice in the summer. Genk eventually broke their transfer record to bring him in for €10.5 million on a four-year deal.
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The Belgian side were not simply taking a punt on potential. They signed a striker who had scored 35 goals and provided 10 assists in 86 appearances for Plzen.
Onuachu knew exactly what Genk could give him. The Nigerian forward spent more than four years there, scoring 85 goals in 134 games before moving to Southampton in January 2023. He also won the Belgian Golden Shoe during that prolific spell in Limburg.
Onuachu gave Durosinmi The Final Push
The two strikers spoke about his next move while they were together with the Super Eagles. Onuachu was particularly interested in why Durosinmi had chosen Pisa in January and what options he had this summer.
According to VoetbalPrimeur.be, citing an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Onuachu immediately endorsed Genk the moment Durosinmi mentioned the club.
“He wondered why I had chosen Pisa in January and was curious about the options I had now. When I mentioned Genk, he immediately said that it was the best step for me,” Durosinmi said.
“That really gave me the final push to choose this club.”
The early signs could hardly be more different from his time at Pisa. Durosinmi has scored five goals in his first six Belgian Pro League matches, finding the net in five of those games. Three have come from headers and two from the penalty spot.
He has also adapted to life at Genk far quicker than he expected, even after hearing so many positive things from Onuachu.
“And to be honest: the club really is fantastic. I had expected that because of all the good stories, but it has exceeded my expectations,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
Durosinmi also praised how easy the club made the transition, especially because English is widely spoken, and described manager Jess Thorup as “top-notch.”
“This is the first club where I was completely settled within a week.”
After five goals from his opening six league games, he has already set himself a more ambitious target.
“At least 20 goals this season would be fantastic.”
