Onyekuru: Is Olympiacos move reasonable for Super Eagles attacker?

When Olympiacos confirmed Henry Onyekuru’s move on Monday, there had to be a tinge of disappointment for supporters of the player and maybe even the Nigeria star.

Having seemed to be on an upward trajectory following his breakthrough season in Belgium with K.A.S. Eupen, a huge move to Everton came through in 2017, but work permit issues meant the Toffees couldn’t retain the Super Eagle. He was subsequently loaned to Anderlecht for the 2017/18 campaign. 

Following a couple of loan spells in Turkey with Galatasaray, the wide attacker now finds himself moving to the Greek giants. Throw in a rather disappointing time in Ligue 1 with Monaco and the frustration over Onyekuru’s career decline has to hurt further.

Having looked to be making headway, the 24-year-old couldn’t be farther from Europe’s top five leagues. Despite the club’s excitement at his signing and the West African’s initial reaction, you wonder where this move leaves him.

“Olympiacos have announced the acquisition of international ace, Henry Onyekuru,” a statement on the club’s website read. “The Nigerian, born on June 5, 1997, in Lagos, has been acquired from Monaco after signing a four-year contract. 

“Having spent five years at Aspire Academy, Onyekuru took the first big step in his career in 2015 by signing a contract with Eupen. 

“His 30 goals in 60 games with the Belgian club attracted several clubs with Everton acquiring his services in 2017. The Nigerian spent the next two seasons on loan at Anderlecht (28 assists, 10 goals) and Galatasaray (31 assists and 14 goals) respectively.”

The Nigeria star stated: “I know it is a big club in Greece, one of the biggest and they have good ambition and target every season and they are always in the Champions League.

“I also know of two Nigerians who played here before and I am just here to contribute and keep on pushing and also to be champions countless times, achieve more goals and aims with the club.

“I am happy to be here and ready to achieve more with the club.”

On the one hand, you understand things from the player’s perspective. A move to the Greek giants means he gets to compete at the top of that division and also feature regularly in the Champions League. 

The Red-Whites have won the last two Super League titles domestically and have featured in Europe’s top-tier competition in three of the last five seasons. Having said that, this hasn’t necessarily translated into decent progress on the continent — the 46-time Greek champions haven’t made it out of the group stage in their last three CL appearances — more or less an antithesis of Onyekuru’s belief. 

Thus, it leaves observers wondering what the next four years hold for the wide attacker following his move to Greece. Given he’s still 24, there’s theoretically still time to regain his mojo and return to one of Europe’s top divisions if he has those ambitions. 

For a player who seemed to be on the up, the last few years haven’t been kind to the ex-Everton attacker. From a Nigerian perspective, there’s a hope the stars align for the former talent whose career is threatening to peter out after its early promise. ---

Seye Omidiora is a passionate football writer and pundit whose deep appreciation for the beautiful game exceeds the usual. He is currently a columnist for Goal Africa and has previously written for Vital Football UK, IBCity Info and Opera News.

Follow him on Twitter @theReal_SeyE

-----

Pulse Contributors is an initiative to highlight diverse journalistic voices. Pulse Contributors do not represent the company Pulse and contribute on their own behalf.