Nigeria striker Paul Onuachu has continued to grab the headlines in Turkey as he scored yet again for his team Trabzonspor in the 1-0 away win over Istanbul Başakşehir F.K.
His goal, just before half-time, gave his team the victory and propelled them into the qualifying rounds of the Europa League for next season.
The towering striker, who is on loan to the Turkish side from English outfit Southampton has been a hit with the purple and blue since his move there.
Istanbul Basaksehir were the better team in the first half but found Trabzonspor hard to break, and it was the visitors that eventually got the breakthrough
Just before half-time, Belgian full-back Thomas Meunier found Onuachu, who headed into the net for his 16th goal in the Turkish Super Lig.
There were no further goals in the game as Trabzonspor held on for the win and a spot in Europe next season.
Trabzonspor are third on the table with 64 points, behind leaders Galatasaray who have 99 points and Fenerbache who are on 93 points with a game to go
Paul Onuachu this season
The tall striker has been one of the shining lights for his team this campaign, accounting for a sixth of the goals his team has scored.
In 21 games in the Super Lig this term, he has scored 15 goals with four assists since his loan move from Southampton.
The Super Eagles forward has six goals from his last five matches to show his form as the season gets to climax.
Will Onuachu stay at Trabzonspor or head back to England?
Photo by Icon Sport
The management at Trabzonspor has been speaking to Onuachu to extend his loan stay with the club after an impressive loan spell.
However, sources close to the player told afrik-foot.com that the 29-year-old prefers a move back to England.
It is expected that in the coming days, the Turkish side will make a much-improved offer for the striker in a bid to convince him to stay.
Another Nigerian striker, Tolu Arokodare, who has similar attributes to Onuachu, is being touted as a Plan B, should they fail to convince the 6’5 striker to stay in Trabzon.
Can Onuachu’s form earn him a spot in Finidi’s World Cup qualifying squad?
With 16 goals and four assists in 24 games in all competitions, Onuachu will hope his form will be good enough to earn him a spot in Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month.
Though he was part of the Super Eagles squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, he played a little part in Nigeria’s second-place finish.
Onuachu will have to contend with other strikers like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface and Cyriel Dessers as Finidi George gets set to name his squad that will face South Africa and Benin in the next round of qualifiers.
Nigeria will face South Africa in Uyo on 7 June, and then fly to Abidjan to take on Benin Republic in their adopted home ground.
The Super Eagles are third in Group C of the qualifiers with two points from the draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Rwanda lead the group ahead of South Africa, Nigeria, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Benin in that order.
