Trabzonspor boss praises Paul Onuachu, warns Nigeria star over costly ball losses

Trabzonspor manager Fatih Tekke has praised striker Paul Onuachu for his strong form but also warned the Nigerian forward about losing the ball too easily during matches, Soccernet.ng reports.

Onuachu is enjoying one of the finest campaigns of his career and currently sits top of the Super Lig scorer's chart with 18 goals in 21 games. That's already three more than he managed across the same number of matches during his first spell at the club.

Tekke, one of Trabzonspor’s all-time top goalscorers, is pleased with Onuachu's contributions.

Tekke highlights Onuachu’s importance to the team goes beyond the goals he scores and applauds the Super Eagles forward for improving the overall quality of Trabzonspor's play.

Still, the 48-year-old tactician insists Onuachu should be scoring more goals and has revealed the advice he recently gave the Nigerian forward.

“I gave him some valuable advice. I said it on the last broadcast as well. Onuachu's role in improving our game is more important than the goal he scored,” Tekke said as per 61Saat.

Tekke added that Onuachu could score even more goals if he reduced simple mistakes when in possession.

“If Onuachu doesn't make those turnovers, those simple turnovers, you'll have more goalscoring opportunities.”

Despite pointing out the weakness, Tekke made it clear that he is pleased with the striker’s performances so far.

“At this level, we need Onuachu's performance and goals more than his advice. His performance so far has been very good. We're glad he's here.”

Tekke also stressed that success at Trabzonspor is not about one player alone.

“This isn't just about Onuachu; it's a team effort. Some of the goals we score come from individual solutions, but there are also moments when the team needs each other.”

Paul Onuachu in Trabzonspor record books

Onuachu recently wrote his name into Trabzonspor’s history after scoring in the club’s 3-1 win over Fatih Karagümrük on Friday.

The goal extended the Nigerian striker’s scoring run to six consecutive Süper Lig matches. Turkish sports daily Fanatik reported that the run is now the longest in the club’s league history.

The record had previously been five consecutive matches, set by Tekke during the 2004–05 season. Former forwards Shota Arveladze and Paulo Henrique also had five-game scoring streaks.

Onuachu’s impact this season has been huge. The 2.01m striker currently leads the Süper Lig scoring chart with 18 goals in 21 league matches, with seven goals coming from headers.

Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, the striker has scored in every match he has played, producing eight goals in total: seven in the league and one in the Turkish Cup.

He also contributed an assist against Karagümrük, setting up compatriot Chibuike Nwaiwu with a header before the defender sealed the victory in the 50th minute.

Onuachu joined Trabzonspor permanently from Southampton last summer and has become one of the team’s key players.

The striker's form has helped the club rise to third place in the table, keeping them in the race for the title.

Onuachu is also chasing another historic record. He is now eight goals away from becoming the highest-scoring foreign player in a single Süper Lig season for Trabzonspor, a record currently held by Georgian legend Shota Arveladze, who scored 25 goals in the 1995/96 campaign.

Trabzonspor face Kayserispor on Monday night.