Southampton will now go into the second international break of the season without a Premier League win after losing 3-1 to Arsenal on Saturday.
Russell Martin demanded a reaction to Southampton’s 3-1 defeat against AFC Bournemouth and he got one despite defeat to Arsenal.
Southampton defended well for much of the game in the 5-4-1 shape Martin had sent them out in, with Kyle Walker-Peters acting as an unorthodox centre-back and Ryan Manning surprisingly brought into the starting XI.
The Saints took the lead through Cameron Archer in the 55th minute but were soon pegged back by goals from Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli, before Bukayo Saka completed the scoring late on.
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Russell Martin believes Paul Onuachu can have Southampton impact
Southampton have a very large squad after a summer in which they struggled to shift some of the players they hoped to sell.
One such player is striker Paul Onuachu, who spent last season on loan at Trabzonspor and was expected to complete a permanent exit this summer.
However, that did not materialise and Martin showed the door was open for the giant striker as he was named on the bench against Bournemouth.
Against Arsenal, Onuachu was sent on in the 74th-minute for what was his first appearance of the season and the Nigerian was impressive in his cameo.
Martin was asked post-match whether Onuachu could now be considered a ‘serious option’ and confirmed the centre-forward could now be more involved going forward, telling the Daily Echo: “Yeah, definitely. He has to be, otherwise he’s not on the bench. He’s trained so well after a summer of disruption.
“There was will he be here, won’t he be here? It was tough for him to deal with, I think, but then since the window’s shut it’s just a different beast.
“He’s been trained so well, always makes his mark in training physically and has got a really good record wherever he’s been, apart from here in those six months.
“Last year he went out on loan for several different reasons, finance, playing in a top league, us having Che Adams and these guys that we knew what they could do.
“Paul was lesser known to us and this summer was what it was and now he’s here. We have to use him if we think he can help us and I definitely think he can.”
Ross Stewart injury opens door for Onuachu
On the face of it, Onuachu does not suit Martin’s possession-focused style of play when you consider he is more of a target man.
However, Martin chose to go a little more direct against Arsenal as Ross Stewart started his first ever game for the club despite signing in summer 2023.
Stewart’s injury nightmare continued as he came off injured after just 27 minutes, but this could pave the way for Onuachu to become important for Martin.
Archer came on for Stewart to score against Arsenal and that was the first league goal scored by a forward for Southampton this season.
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That goal may now see Archer lead the line against Leicester City in the first game back after the international break, but Onuachu could be the first player Martin turns to if his side needs a goal.