Turkish expert praises Onuachu despite recent struggles

Turkish expert Özden Ayvaz has called Trabzonspor striker Paul Onuachu a “great goalscorer.” He said this even though the Nigerian is not playing well right now, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Ayvaz wondered if there is a clause in Onuachu’s contract that makes him play every match. This question came up when Onuachu came off the bench during Trabzonspor’s 4-0 win against Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig.

“Onuachu is a great goalscorer, but the truth is he’s out of form… Is there a clause in his contract that says he has to play in every match?” Ayvaz said on the Sports Hour programme, according to 61saat.

Onuachu did not start the match and came on in the second half. Trabzonspor was already in control, with Mohamed Salah scoring a hat-trick in the big win over the league leaders.

Galatasaray, missing injured Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, had a tough time handling Trabzonspor. They were down to 10 men after Lesley Ugochukwu was sent off following a VAR review.

This season, Onuachu has had a hard time getting back to his best. He has scored twice in eight matches, with both goals coming in Trabzonspor’s 5-0 win over Genclerbirligi.

Even with his current struggles, Ayvaz praised Onuachu’s goal-scoring skills, energy, and attitude on the field.

“However, while saying this, we have to give him credit; he really is a great goalscorer. He came into the game with great enthusiasm and a smile. I really like Onuachu’s goalscoring ability and his demeanour on the field,” he added.

Ayvaz also shared that friends in Istanbul, who know Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yıldırım, have playfully asked him to get the Nigerian striker for them.

“We have close friends in Istanbul who are close to Aziz Yıldırım. They jokingly tell me: ‘Just give us Onuachu…’ They know the value of our players much better than we do,” he concluded.

Onuachu, who was left out of Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming games against Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, will look to get back to scoring when club football resumes after the international break.