Sign Him First, Forget His Age – Ex-Striker Tells Club To Land Southampton Man | OneFootball

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Former Turkish Super Lig striker Mehmet Yilmaz has advised Trabzonspor to make Southampton star Paul Onuachu their first signing of the summer and to take no notice of his age.

Southampton experienced a tragic return to the top flight of English football as they failed to keep their Premier League status intact and were relegated in the recently finished season.

The St. Mary’s outfit will need to reshape their squad for the challenge ahead and it looks unlikely to include Onuachu, who is wanted in Turkey.

Onuachu is set to enter the final year of his contract at Southampton and had a successful loan spell with Trabzonspor during the 2023/24 season, where he netted 17 goals in all competitions.

Trabzonspor are in negotiations with Southampton and Yilmaz is keen for them to get the deal done.

He stressed that Onuachu is a proven commodity in Turkish football and if Trabzonspor spent cash on other players then they might flop.

He also dismissed that Onuchu’s age is an issue by giving the example of Fenerbahce’s 39-year-old star Edin Dzeko and stressed that the Southampton star should be the first signing of the summer for the club.

“Onuachu has been successful in this league and is a quality goalscorer who would make a great contribution again”, Yilmaz said via Turkish outlet Gunebakis.

“You may pay €5m to €6m to names that you do not know what they will do and then have problems.

“Nobody should worry about Onuachu’s age.

“What did Dzeko do at the age of 39 at Fenerbahce?

“If Fenerbahce were to become champions, would Dzeko leave?

“Onuachu should be the first transfer without a doubt.”

The Southampton star was a bit-part player under Russell Martin, but later Ivan Juric reinstated him in the starting lineup and he found the back of the net four times.

Another Turkish side in the shape of Besiktas also hold an interest in Onuachu.