Transfer expert Dean Jones has backed a “class” Southampton player to revive his St Mary’s career despite currently being on loan.
Southampton transfer news
The Saints will have the opportunity to make new signings when the January transfer window rolls around should Russell Martin want to improve the options in his squad.
A number of players have emerged as potential targets for Southampton in the winter window, with West Brom youngster Tom Fellows seen as a possible option. Another player who is also believed to be in their thoughts is Maximilian Entrup, with the Hartberg striker seen as an option to replace Che Adams in the event that the Scot leaves in January.
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The Saints are believed to be “looking at” one specific player.
There are also loanees who are currently plying their trade away from St Mary’s at the moment, with the south coast club having the option to bring them back further down the line. A significant claim has now emerged regarding one of those figures, with Paul Onuachu’s Southampton future assessed.
Key update on Paul Onuachu’s Southampton future
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Onuachu could yet return from his loan spell and still have a successful Southampton career ahead of him.
He said: “I think it is a win-win. Onuachu obviously hasn’t set the world on fire since landing at Saints, but I actually thought it was a good signing when they brought him in initially.
“I don’t think he’s really been given enough opportunity to show that he could crack it at Southampton. You could argue that that’s not necessarily the club’s fault. They’ve been in really bad times and they’ve been pretty desperate. They’ve had to try various things and they’ve had different managers. So he’s kind of been a victim of that as well.
“But to see him go away now scoring goals, everyone’s a winner from that point of view. I think that eventually he’ll come back to Southampton and he will get another opportunity and just needs to hit the ground running when that happens.”
This is perhaps an encouraging sign for Southampton, with Onuachu impressing greatly on loan at Trabzonspor at the moment, scoring six goals in eight Turkish Super Lig appearances so far this season.
The 29-year-old has averaged an eye-catching 4.5 aerial duel wins per game in the competition, highlighting his dominance leading the line, while he also has a tally of 3.1 shots per match, showing that he is often in the thick of the action.
Martin will surely be tempted to try again with Onuachu at the end of this season, assuming he continues his current impressive form. Former teammate Rasmus Carstensen has lauded him in the past, saying:
“He is on the top scorer list again, and a player who scores 30+ goals obviously has a level for more than the club he plays for. Paul has a great opportunity to take the next step. He is a class guy, I can’t say anything negative about him.”
It will be fascinating to see how he fares in the coming months, and should the chance to bring him back in January even emerge, it is something they should consider.
