According to Belgian writer Sacha Tavolieri, Paul Onuachu is “devastated” that his return to KRC Genk from Championship team Southampton fell through.

There will be no easy escape for another Jupiler League import falling down the pecking order at St Mary’s while Moussa Djenepo inches closer to returning to Standard Liege after Southampton accepted a £3 million deal for a player who has yet to make a single league game under Russell Martin.

Paul Onuachu only joined the team in January, spending £18 million.

The towering striker’s dream of playing in the Premier League quickly became a nightmare, though, as he failed to score a single goal and Southampton finished last in the standings. It’s difficult to assume that Onuachu anticipated that he would find himself at a lower-level Saints team by September after signing a significant contract eight months prior.

Paul Onuachu is imprisoned in Southampton.

Onuachu has yet to be selected for a single matchday squad by Martin. Additionally, the tall Nigerian international is preparing for the possibility of spending a further few months gathering cobwebs on the sidelines after plans to return to his former employers fell through.

“Confirmed. Onuachu’s transfer from Southampton to Genk is canceled, according to Tavolieri’s tweet. I was informed that the player was distraught.

It makes sense.

With 85 goals in 134 games, Onuachu had his best season of football at Genk. Only 35 of those arrived throughout the 2020–21 campaign. Since his departure, Genk lost the Jupiler League championship to Royal Antwerp by a single point and was eliminated from the Champions League qualifying matches by surprise packages Servette, the lack of dependable goal scorers in the post-Onuachu era being a frequent subject of worry.

Joseph Paintsil would have come to Southampton from Genk in a trade deal, and Onuachu would have gone the opposite way. However, attempts to reach an agreement were unsuccessful.

For the time being, Onuachu still has access to the Saudi Arabian and Turkish windows, which are still open.