Henry Onyekuru – Everything You Need To Know About This Celtic And Liverpool Target

19-year old Henry Onyekuru seems to be the hottest prospect in the ongoing transfer window with a plethora of clubs lining up to sign him up, including the likes of Premier League giants Liverpool and Scottish club Celtic. Onyekuru is a striker, who plays for Belgian side KAS Eupen and has been in top form for the minnows in the Jupiler League and hence attracting interest from all corners in Europe.

The forward earlier claimed that Brendan Rodgers’s side had already made a definitive offer for him, while CSKA Moscow, RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim and Fenerbahce continue to monitor his progress with Liverpool also jumping on the bandwagon recently.

Born in 1997 in Onitsha, Nigeria, Onyekuru was spotted playing in his country and was brought to the Aspire Academy in Senegal before he joined up with Eupen, who are owned by the Aspire Zone Foundation, which is part of the Qatar Sports Organization that owns French side Paris Saint-Germain, in the summer of 2015.

The 19-year old made his debut in the Proximus League, the Belgian second division, in the month of September 2015 against Dessel Sport, but had to wait for a long time to get his first full game until January 2016 when he played the entire 90 minutes against Lierse SK. He was handed another start in the subsequent game, where he impressed by getting himself an assist, earning a prolonged run in the playing XI.

In his very next game in February 2016, Onyekuru scored his first and second goals for Eupen, leading his team to a 3-1 win over KSK Heist and went on to score in the next three games to help his team finish second in the league and earn a promotion to the top tier. The Nigerian ended the season with 6 goals and 2 assists to his name.

And after helping Eupen win promotion to the top flight in his first season, Onyekuru has continued to flourish this season term in the Jupiler League, single-handedly keeping his team away from the threat of relegation. The 19-year old has already bagged 12 goals in all competitions so far this season, along with an amazing 6 assists in 25 appearances, highlighting his impact for Eupen.

A self-professed Arsenal fan, Onyekuru has gone on record saying that he would love to play for the Gunners and has the belief in him to exceed at the biggest level. Speaking to the media recently, he said:

“I believe I have the level to one day play in the Champions League. The Premier League is my dream league, although I would rather go to Arsenal.”

However, given the impact that he has made, Eupen are quite reluctant to see him leave in January and with his contract with the club running until the summer of 2020, they are very likely to play a hardball with the interested clubs.

Comfortable in any position across the front line, Onyekuru possesses a blistering turn of pace and is known to run past defenders in the blink of an eye. Calm and composed in the box, he is a quality finisher and also has a creative edge to his game and likes to set up opportunities for his teammates as seen by his assist numbers this season. At 19, he still has a lot of development to go through, but given the right guidance, he could very well be the next best thing to emerge out of the Belgian League.