Will Paul Onuachu Leave the Pro League?
With the individual campaign that Paul Onuachu has just had for Pro League runners up Genk, it would be hard to look beyond him to top the goalscoring tables again next season. However, will he even play for Genk come the start of the 2021/22 season?
His 33 goals in 38 league games may be precisely the reason that he won’t be top goalscorer next season, well at least not in Belgium anyway. The Nigerian centre forward set the league alight last year, scoring 29 goals in the regular season (8 more than next best Thomas Henry), before finding the net four times in six games in the Championship play-offs. Despite a disappointing end to the season which saw Genk finish runners up, Onuachu was the key man in dragging his side to within a point of the Pro League title.
But with an impressive goalscoring campaign comes interest from around Europe. West Ham have struggled to find a reliable centre forward and have reportedly set their sights on the 6ft 7 striker to fill the void.
Any deal for Onuachu is cited to be worth in the region of €30 million, a figure which seems like great value and certainly worth the risk for a London-based club with the finances afforded by qualifying for Europe.
2021/22 Top Goalscorer Prediction
Despite Club Brugge’s rocky end to last season, their regular season campaign was nothing short of dominant. They finished 16 points clear at the top of the Jupiler League, netting 73 times in just 34 games. The impressive goalscoring record of Brugge is a direct result of their midfield creativity. Experienced playmaker Ruud Vormer had yet another impactful season, with the Dutchman creating 11 goals, which was supplemented by Belgian midfielder Hans Vanaken and young talent Charles de Ketelaere who contributed 7 and 6 assists respectively.
With the wealth of creativity behind the front line, it is no surprise that Noa Lang had his most productive goalscoring season to date, netting 16 times in 29 games. The 22-year-old Dutchman proved his huge potential in his debut campaign for the club, providing seven assists on top of being Brugge’s top goalscorer.
The former Ajax winger will look to kick on from his first season with Club Brugge and we expect Philippe Clement’s side to be every bit as strong as they were last season. Should they dominate the regular season in similar fashion, it would be no surprise to see Lang break the 20 goal mark, and with bundles of his own creative ability, the Dutchman could have a standout season in the Jupiler Pro League.
The Pro League’s top goalscorer could of course be largely dependent on the future of Onuachu, but given the rumours circulating around his future, it is possible that he will find a new club before the season is underway.
Even if he remains with Genk, could he replicate the season he just had? Even if he remains in the league, we believe Lang could go toe-to-toe with the big Nigerian and if Club Brugge have another impressive season, Lang could find himself picking up the top goalscorer award.
