Trabzonspor would have advanced to the next round of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers had Paul Onuachu been in the team, according to club technical director Sadi Tekelioglu.
Tekelioglu was left frustrated after watching the Turkish side suffer elimination following their 2-0 defeat to Rapid Vienna in the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday.
Trabzonspor had also lost the first leg by a lone goal at home, which meant they exited the competition on a 3-0 aggregate loss.
The club’s struggles in front of goal were evident, having failed to find the back of the net in both legs.
Trabzonspor technical director admits club misses Paul Onuachu
Reacting to Trabzonspor’s disappointing exit from the Europa League qualifiers, technical director Tekelioglu admitted that the team missed the presence of Onuachu.
“Remember we used to say in every broadcast: this team can be without a coach but not without Onuachu. What we said came true. Onuachu’s absence was clearly seen in both Rapid matches,” Tekelioglu said, as quoted by Karadeni Gazete.
“If the Onuachu transfer had been made early, Trabzonspor would now be making calculations for the Europa League play-off round since Onuachu was the first priority. There is a serious planning error in the transfer.”
Paul Onuachu scored 17 goals on loan at Trabzonspor last season and although the Turkish club wants to make the move permanent, they have so far been unable to meet Southampton’s €12 million valuation.