Southampton’s fight against relegation appears to have been given a massive boost on Deadline Day after Saints have reportedly struck terms with Belgian giants KRC Genk over a €21m move for Nigerian international striker Paul Onuachu according to The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell and Belgian football expert Sacha Tavolieri.
🚨#SaintsFC have agreed a deal worth €21 million to sign Paul Onuachu from Genk.
Nathan Jones wanted a physical striker and Southampton’s improved offer convinced Genk to accept. Looking like a huge day for the club.
Story @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/41NAMHp4oB
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) January 31, 2023
The 28-year-old 6′7 target man has been one of the leading lights in the Jupiler Pro for Genk since his arrival from Danish outfit FC Midtjylland in 2019 before going on to score 85 goals in 130 appearances for Blauw-Wit across three-and-a-half seasons at Cegeka Arena, including a brilliant 2020-21 campaign that saw him smash 33 league goals in 38 appearances while helping the club to a Belgian Cup win that same season.
According to Tanswell, Saints boss Nathan Jones was adamant about adding a physical profile to lead the line for the club given the current options on the books, with Onauchu likely to come into the side as a first-choice option in the number 9 role ahead of Ché Adams and Adam Armstrong. This also plays into the fact that the club possesses one of the Premier League’s dead-ball specialists in James Ward-Prowse, and given Saint’s struggles in front of goal this season with one of the worst goalscoring records in the league, this could be a season-defining move for the club should the deal go ahead.
