Claim made on Paul Onuachu situation at Southampton FC that would leave "a bit of a problem" | OneFootball

The striker hasn't been able to find his fee at St Mary's since joining them for an eight-figure fee more than two years ago.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Paul Onuachu has had a stuttering career with Southampton, but some people hope that the club's relegation to the Championship could serve as an opportunity for him to prove himself at St Mary's.

Originally signed during the Nathan Jones day, the Nigerian centre-forward has followed the general downwards trend that his parent club have been on while playing for them.

Elsewhere, though, Onuachu has looked effective. He scored 15 goals in the Turkish Süper Lig while on loan with Trabzonspor. The season prior to that, before he was signed by the Saints for £18 million, he netted 16 times for Genk in the Belgian Pro League.

So could Onuachu finally re-discover his goal-scoring prowess with Southampton? Football League World's Saints fan pundit, Martin Sanders, doesn't believe so.

Paul Onuachu not backed to be a Championship success

The only way that Sanders sees the 30-year-old being an effective centre-forward for Southampton next season is if they bring in a manager that will play to his strengths.

The Saints are currently without a permanent manager after they parted ways with Ivan Juric, following the club's relegation. Danny Rohl, Liam Rosenior and Will Still, of Sheffield Wednesday, RC Strasbourg and RC Lens, respectively, have all been linked with the vacant posting on the south coast.

"Tall Paul Onuachu: what a guy," said Sanders of the Southampton striker. "He signed for Saints in the January of 2023. They've tried to sell him in every single window since. He was bought for Nathan Jones and within weeks of signing him we sacked Jones. So, all in all, it was a bit of a disaster to be honest.

"Onuachu hasn't really set the world alight. He was 28 when he arrived. He's scored goals all around Europe out on loan in the Turkish league. He really struggled to make an impact here. He's a tall striker - six-foot-seven, I think I'm right in saying. He's never really been given loads of service.

"Do I think he could cut it in the Championship? It's a good question, and I'm not sure, you know. From what I've seen of him at times this year, he isn't that mobile, and you would need a manager to play to his strengths if he was going to do well in the Championship.

"It's dependent on the manager really. A lot of people think that he could drop down and do a job in the Championship; I'm not convinced. I think that there's got to be better options than Onuachu. If we're resting our hopes of scoring goals next season on Tall Paul then we've got a bit of a problem."

Southampton aren't likely to appoint a boss that's best-suited for Onuachu

The words of the club's technical director, Johannes Spor, have heavily suggested that he wants to see Southampton playing an intense, pressing brand of football in the Championship. Given Onuachu's lack of mobility compared to others, that probably wouldn't work out well for him.

Spor does want a manager that is good with set-pieces, as per the Daily Echo, which would certainly cater to the Nigerian's abilities, but this is not the overriding factor that they are seemingly looking for in a manager.

There just aren't many teams nowadays with Premier League aspirations who play in a way that would suit the 30-year-old, so next season is probably likely to go as the ones before it have; Southampton just isn't a good fit for him.