Henry Onyekuru : Hazy Road to Next Destination

Following the expiration of his one-year loan deal at Galatasaray and considered surplus to requirement by his parent club, Monaco, Henry Onyekuru is in a fix as to his next destination. However,Turkish side, Fenerbahce are showing big intent to sign him, a succour to the Nigerian international

Turkish giants, Fenerbahce are close to signing Super Eagles attacker, Henry Onyekuru in an attempt to bolster the team ahead of the new season.
The Yellow Canaries are closing in on the Nigerian international as they attempt to bolster their squad ahead of the new season.

Onyekuru looks to be closing in on a move to Fenerbahce after he is considered surplus to Monaco’s requirements, and he is searching for a new club following the expiration of his one-year loan deal at Galatasaray.

According to Turkish news outlet MILIGAZETE, Fenerbahce are close to confirming a deal for the Nigerian International. The Yellow Canaries have reportedly agreed to pay €4m to Monaco to secure the services of Onyekuru.

The fee is expected to be paid in two installments. However, whilst terms seem to have been settled between Monaco and Fenerbahce, the former Super Lig Champions still have to agree on personal terms with the forward.

Onyekuru has a lot of experience playing in Turkey. He has played his best football in the Super Lig. The former Eupen striker has had three separate loan spells with Galatasaray, scoring 16 goals in all competitions in his first stint as the Lions won the league and cup double.

He scored five goals in 14 league appearances for Galatasaray last season, and he stated that he would love to stay at the club, but they haven’t made an official bid for him.
Meanwhile, other reports emanating from Greece stated that Onyekuru has completed a loan move to Greek Süper League side Olympiacos, that the forward penned a deal with Olympiacos until the end of the 2021/22 campaign, after they reached agreement with his parent club AS Monaco.

Onyekuru came to limelight after his impressive 2017 campaign with Belgian side AS Eupen. Since then, he has signed for Everton, Anderlecht and Monaco and Galatasaray.
However, if reports from Fotospor is anything to go by, Onyekuru’s move to Galatasaray is all but dead as the Turkish giants are no longer interested in resigning the Super Eagles winger either temporarily or permanently.

After manager Fatih Terim retained his job following the election of Burak Elmas as the new President of Galatasaray, it was expected that the Istanbul Lions would hasten to complete Onyekuru’s €4.5 million switch from Monaco.

But the Yellow-Reds reportedly only offered €2.5 million for the 23-year-old’s services, a bid which the Ligue 1 side rejected without delay.

Galatasaray have since moved on to other targets, encouraging Onyekuru’s agent to equally approach Fenerbahce and Besiktas as both clubs are known admirers of the Nigerian.
However, Besiktas are no longer interested in Onyekuru’s services, while Fenerbahce are not willing to cough out the transfer fee demanded by Monaco.

Instead, Fenerbahce want a direct player swap involving Onyekuru and another player of Nigerian descent, Bright Osayi-Samuel, a deal that does not catch the fancy of the decision-makers at Monaco.

Greek champions Olympiacos are the only side ready to pay €4.5 million for the former Eupen star but Onyekuru favours remaining in Turkey’s mega-city Istanbul, where he has spent much of the last three years.

That’s why negotiations have not proceeded to a concrete conclusion.
2020 Super Lig champions Istanbul Baakehir could, however, offer Onyekuru a way out of the impasse, having been credited with an interest in the Nigerian forward.

The Gray Owls’ manager Aykut Kocaman is a big fan of Onyekuru and had been following the attacker’s progress since he was in charge of Fenerbahce.
Onyekuru’s contract with Monaco, a side he joined for €13.5 million in 2019, does not expire until the summer of 2024.

An exciting player who can hurt opponents in a variety of ways with his explosive, game-changing set of attributes, he’s certainly a nightmare for defenders to come up against.
Blessed with scintillating pace, acceleration and agility, these characteristics ensure he’s such a threat with and without the ball. Firstly, when embarking on his runs, he does so in a thoughtful fashion, as he times, angles and directs his run smartly to get the edge on his adversaries. So quick and aware when a teammate is in a position to pinpoint him, he gets on his bike swiftly to give himself every chance to latch onto through balls first.

The way he uses little hesitation moves, double movements, zig-zags, wicked out-to-in diagonal runs, pins markers and exploits the blindside of his marker adds to his menace.
In addition, when bursting into the box, the way he attacks the six-yard box, knows when to go to the near or far post and has the presence of mind to hold his runs as the defence collapses is a bonus.

Meanwhile, when it comes to his work with the ball at his feet, Onyekuru poses a very unpredictable and elusive proposition. On top of his aforementioned athleticism, his mazy dribbling ensures he can breeze by his man with his sheer pace, cut infield in an instant or beat his man with feints, shoulder drops, stepovers or searing changes of pace and direction. Moreover, the fact he’s so dangerous on the ball often attracts multiple markers, which has the key byproduct of freeing up space for teammates and destabilising his foes’ shape.

His close control when dribbling at speed notably places doubt in defenders minds, for if they step in he can quickly shift the ball to outfox them or draw a foul, thus making him an even more challenging adversary.

It must be said, however, that he can overdo it sometimes on the dribble, which means he gets cornered or fails to see a teammate in a better position. But all in all, any negatives are outweighed by the big positives attached to his confident and eye-catching work here.

While it’s not really his game to create chances or orchestrate passing moves, there’s been some signs of his aptitude here, as he can combine nicely in around the box, calmly recycle possession and play the odd splitting through ball if the option is there. Probably the most effective tool in this regard is how he plays some slick one-twos which help unlock deep sitting defences while allowing him to receive the return pass in a goal facing posture so he can continue his momentum.

Onyekuru’s finishing complements his intriguing game nicely, for this ever-improving area of his armoury allows him to reward all his good work. Instinctive and with a keen eye for goal, the man who finished sixth in the Turkish Super League scoring charts despite playing predominantly as a winger, can crucially score in a variety of ways. Onyekuru has four years to run on his contract with Monaco, whom he joined from Everton last summer.

The 24-year-old has capped 11 times for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles team that clinched bronze at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Onyekuru began his football career with the Aspire Academy in 2010, and graduated in 2015 joining their partner club, KAS Eupen and helped the team get promotion to the Belgium First Division A in his debut season.

After a successful season in the Belgium first division, Onyekuru finished as one of the top scorers in the league, attracting the attention of various big teams in Europe. He finished the 2016/2017 season as joint top-scorer with 22 goals, but the trophy was handed to his rival as he scored more away goals than Onyekuru.
He made his senior debut for Nigeria in a 3-0 friendly win over Togo last year’s July.