LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid are interested in Nigeria forward Paul Onuachu, Completesports.com reports.
According to Spanish news outlet Marca , Atletico Madrid have already established contact with Genk for the striker.
Read Also: Atletico Madrid Made Frantic Effort To Sign Messi -Simeone
According to report, Diego Simeone’s side are willing to pay £20m for the 27-year-old who was linked with a number of clubs in Europe this summer.
It remain to be seen if the Spanish club will make move for Onuachu in January or wait until next summer .
The FC Midtylland has scored nine goals in nine league appearances for the Smurfs this season.
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26 Comments
This is the kind of move that will give you grounds to challenge Osimhen for a starting spot in the national team.
Onuachu Can’t challenge for Osimhen’s place in the national team. I honestly don’t even think they’re in competition.
Rohr’s style of play can’t work without a central striker willing to run and press the central defenders for 90 minutes; and that’s why he worked and succeeded with Jude Ighalo and identified Victor Osimhen as his under study and not Kelechi Iheanacho, Simy Nwankwo or Paul Onuachu (who was doing well in Denmark at the time).
To be fair, even if we replace Rohr tomorrow, the next coach will come to the same conclusion he came to – that the team works best with energetic forwards willing to press from the front and dangerous on the counter.
Paul can score 100 goals in Belgium or Spain if he likes, but so long as he remains a static centre-forward only active in the 18 yard box, he’ll only be a plan B for the Eagles (good for when we are chasing games), but never the main man.
The move is not to challenge anyone except himself to see if he can replicate the same goal scoring form in little leagues, in a big league.
He cant displace osimhen for now, even awoniyi looks ahead of him and if sadiq umar decides to leave division 2 football it will be too much competition for onuachu.
But I hope he makes this move and get the opportunity to play with the big boys of European and world football.
My friend how can ypu call Belgium league little? When Osimhen was playing in Belgium what was his performance?
Thanks @Wadada,compare Onuachu’s and Osimhen’s scoring form in the same league.
Onuachu plays league football like it’s a training session,wheras Osimhen scored 50% less than Onuachu in the same league in a season.
The only reason Osimhen is playing ahead of Paul in the national team is because Paul didn’t take his chances and Osimhen did and surpassed him,as well he is a big signing in a huge Italian club.
But all that can change in football.A big move equally and an improved performance both at club and international games could change a lot things,so nothing is given,you are there until someone comes with a better form.
What was the situation under which Osimhen joined the Belgian league, how old was he, what was his form like and what experience did he have?
Answer that question then compare it to when Paul onuachu joined the Belgian league as well, his age, form and experience.
Then you will know that osimhen was still coming up at that time, he was very young and was still building up his confidence but he still scored alot of goals.
My brother in football you are as good as your last game.
If Onuachu’s move to Athletico Madrid pulls through and he was able to displace the likes of Suarez and maintain his scoring ratio per game in la Liga for a huge club like Athletico Madrid,his chances of challenging Osimhen for a starting spot is high it all depends on how he takes his opportunity when it presents itself.
Mind you nobody has automatic shirt in the national team no matter how good you are,you are playing regularly until someone better emerges or a squad member suddenly ups his form.
Onuachu will definitely improve playing alongside and against world class players in a top league and that will also come in handy for the national team.Becauses his chances for a first team spot will be high.
It is even that you now realise that you have a national team. Go back to your comment, ikpomfuk
@ Bassey Ufum it’s hard to understand your post
Stop being delusional my guy @Greenturf, so you believe A. Madrid could be looking to buy a 27+ yrs old Onuachu with that his style of play? And to displace Suarez, Griezmann and Joao Felix? You must have seen this happening in your dream. Believing this CS report is at your peril bro.
Let’s be realistic for once in our life to know that Onuachu can never deliver at any top club in Europe top 5 league, he should just keep banging in goals in Genk to keep his hype on before age catch up on him
@ Dr Banks Going by his achievements the last couple of years,it’s not a surprise top clubs are stalking him.He may not have hit it running in Nigeria but his European exploits has been unbelievable so for that alone can play with the likes of Suarez,Griezman and co.afterall the aforementioned are humans and once played and achieved at small clubs before they were bought by top clubs same situation as Onuachu.
January is a few months away,let’s be patient and see what happens rather than talk down on the poor lad after all the reason he didn’t move to a better league last summer was due to high asking price by Genk which in all honesty he’s worth for the season he had.
If he were a Caucasian I’m sure one of those deals would have pulled through without qualms with the asking price.
It’s not just a CSN report, the news is all over Internet. Do some research. CSN only copied and pasted like they always do. Of course Onuachu or any other striker can displace Osimhen. Is Osimhen now Messi or Maradona that can’t be displaced?.
It kinda baffles me how a lot of non-entities indirectly wish Paul ill-luck just because of their preference for Osimhen and Co. Isn’t that witchcraft?
If a lot in-here aren’t daft, they would’ve understood that Paul is a perfect match for Diego Simeone’s style of play. He’ll benefit from their excellent crossing.
Paul Onuachu, keep your head-up and keep working hard, God dey.
Another daft, delusional and hate-filled keyboard warrior!
I thought they said no big club will whant to buy him.we just talk.
I hope it happens
too much of noise on interest on this guy today Lyon tomorrow Arsenal next tomorrow Atlectico Madrid some of us are tired of hearing this
please COMPLETE SPORTS can you just do us a favour by publishing news on Onuachu only when the deal is done !
Review: Super Eagles restore their pride but there are still problems for Gernot Rohr
Joba Ogunwale by Joba Ogunwale 2 days ago.
When Nigeria kicked off their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a win over Liberia and Cape Verde in September, there was this belief that qualification could be secured in the next two games.
The Super Eagles had beaten Liberia 2-0 in Lagos before a depleted team under the scorching sun of Mindelo beat the Blue Sharks 2-1.
Following the two victories, the next two games against the Central African Republic were seen as routine victories as the gulf in class between the two sides was clear as daylight.
The Wild Beasts had never qualified for a major tournament in their history and had just one professional footballer in their squad- Atletico Madrid’s Geoffrey Edwin Kondogbia.
There were also 90 spots between the two sides ahead of the encounter, with Nigeria ranked 34th in the FIFA rankings, while CAR were ranked 134th in the world.
However, the first leg of the doubleheader delivered an upset of a lifetime as a CAR side full of semi-professionals stunned Nigeria at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, courtesy of a 90th-minute strike from Karl Namnganda.
Soccernet takes a look at some of the talking points from the first leg and second leg of both games.
An upset, but the result has been long coming.
While the upset is not what fans foresaw, it is a result that has been long coming. The Super Eagles might have started the qualifying campaign with two wins, but it only covered the problems.
For over a year, the Super Eagles general play has been disappointing and boring to watch. Aside from the wins against Lesotho and Liberia, every other victory in the last 12 months had an element of luck.
It is quite disappointing that the Super Eagles have played with no sense of identity in their last few games. They did dominate possession against CAR, but it was more of sideways passing, which has been reoccurring in the last few months.
There was no time the Wild Beasts felt threatened as the Super Eagles failed to create a clear chance. In fact, the two big chances created in the game were from CAR.
Although the Super Eagles missed the services of Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi, they still had enough quality on the pitch to win the game.
However, the team had no pattern, and they had to rely on the long ball, which CAR dealt with effectively. This was also the same issue against Cape Verde, with the team lacking creativity, although they did win the game courtesy of two errors from the Cape Verdeans.
Immediate Redemption
Luckily for Nigeria following the shock loss to CAR, they were presented with a chance for immediate revenge as the second leg took place at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon, on Sunday.
It was a chance they took as goals from Leon Balogun and Victor Osimhen sealed a 2-0 win for them and maintained their top spot in Group C.
The win was secured thanks to a switch in formation from Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr. Rohr decided to use a 3-5-2 formation, with Chidozie Awaziem coming in for Ola Aina, while Ahmed Musa replaced Chidera Ejuke in an unfamiliar midfield role.
Image restored, but problems remain for Rohr
The Super Eagles did well by securing the win to restore their pride, while credit should also be given to Rohr for deciding to play three at the back, which gave more freedom to the wingbacks and made it easier to control CAR’s transition.
However, the lingering problems still remain for the German tactician. The Super Eagles struggled going forward in the two games due to a lack of a creative midfielder and good passer of the ball.
Alex Iwobi, who would have occupied that role, missed the two games due to an injury. Iwobi might not be everyone’s favourite, but his creativity would’ve helped Nigeria in the final third.
It was no coincidence that he provided the two assists for Iheanacho’s brace in the 2-0 win over Liberia. But despite Iwobi’s absence, the three-time African champions still need a midfielder who has an eye for a pass.
Rohr played Frank Onyeka and Joe Aribo as his central midfielders, with Kelechi Iheanacho in an advanced role, but neither could unlock the CAR defence.
Onyeka did well in his defensive duties, but Aribo was poor in the first leg. Although he improved in the second leg, he is a good ball carrier and not a player with an eye for a pass.
Iheanacho made one brilliant through ball for Osimhen in the second leg, but that was his highlight over two legs.
It is not his fault, though, as he has proven repeatedly at his club that he is a striker and not an attacking midfielder.
This is a problem Rohr will need to solve ahead of the games in November, but more importantly, next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The German tactician has been in charge for almost six years, yet Nigeria’s creative play has come from counter-attacks and wing play.
On a side note, for all the talk about how the team hasn’t found Jay-Jay Okocha’s replacement, it is Sunday Oliseh’s passing range the team has struggled to replace.
Pitch problems
While it is not an excuse for the disappointing display, the state of the pitch at Teslim Balogun Stadium contributed to the first leg defeat.
Players like Aribo found it difficult to play their game on a pitch with uneven grass. Ejuke, who was the only player that tried to make things happen, also struggled with the state of the pitch.
It is no surprise that Aribo and Ejuke played better in Douala, which had a better playing surface. This raises the question of why the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decided to take away the home games from Uyo to a sub-standard stadium like the Teslim Balogun.
Centurion Musa
Musa finally reached 100 caps for the country following the controversy that happened last month. The Super Eagles captain thought he had reached the number against Cape Verde last month, but two of the games were not recognised by FIFA.
Nonetheless, he is now Nigeria’s latest centurion following his appearances in the two games against CAR. It is a remarkable achievement for him as he is only the third player to reach this milestone after Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama.
And at the age of 28, Musa should easily break Enyeama’s record of 102 caps for the country. Congratulations, the governor
Copy and paste hmmm
Paul Onuachu is a fluke. He is big for nothing. Even the goals he has scored in his lowly rated club are flukes. See his video clips on youtube, very funny.
Paul has scored over 100 European goals, all flukes??? Kai lol
Who is that idiot comparing Osimen to that fluke? I just finished checking on onauchu or whatever his name is, he is a big fluke that is why he hardly score when on national colors. Goodluck anyway as he pursues osimen from behind.
But he scored against Egypt (top-rated African team) on his debut, a fantastic goal too. Which countries has Osimhen scored against? CAR,Liberia, Sierra Leone and other unknown teams. I’ll like to watch Osimhen score against Senegal, Egypt, Tunisia, CIV, Ghana and Morrocco, not scoring against African-football-farmers!
I hope Nigeria qualifies and plays against Senegal, Egypt or Morrocco in playoffs!
Apart from getting his 100 cap, what did ahmed musa do in the game?
If you guys say Paul can challenge Osigoal, first, how many clubs will be willing to pay €50m for Paul? Just put Osigoal up for sale for just €60m and see how many clubs will cue up for his signature. my dear people, what you are born with is different from what you train to get.
Please folks, do not put Paul Onuachu down. l beg you. He has scored wonderful goal for Nigeria against Egypt at Asaba stadium. He scored essential goal against another tough West African Nation on the Nigeria’s way to Afcon not too long ago. The fact is, Paul have not been playing regularly for Nigeria in recent times partly because of injuries or another factors. If Victor & Paul play together. You are going to see wonderful goals scored for Nigeria. Even Rohr recognize that but injuries to Paul has largely prevented that happening on persistent level. There are many near misses that happened which Paul would have converted.
est
We have no other country than Nigeria and our qualified footballers are ambassadors. @Edoman, you look every inch like Onuachu’s brother, may be from the same tribe sef. Well, there is no comparism between Osimhen and Onuachu, however, the good thing is, as Nigerians, they are both good. But a certain people in our beloved country often a time like to bring a particular cup to the tea party but are unsettled when served with the same cup. Then they are wont to beg. This is where some of you are fools.
These are Nigerian players, versatile, agile, and with a mindset to do us proud as the country ambassadors, they dont believe in premodal sentiments. What they need is our support and encouragement and not the pull him down antic. Osimhen has a match on Sunday, so lets stay glued, watch him, pray as fellow country men, make comments when necessary. God bless Nigeria