Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Trabzonspor have appointed Thomas Reis, a former teammate of Super Eagles legend Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, as their new head coach, putting the German in charge of Nigerian duo Paul Onuachu and Chibuike Nwaiwu, as well as Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
The Turkish club confirmed the appointment on Thursday, with Reis taking over from Fatih Tekke, who resigned earlier this month. The 52-year-old German signed a two-year contract, according to club statements reported by German media.
Reis and Okocha were teammates at Eintracht Frankfurt during the 1990s, sharing the pitch in 10 matches across all competitions. While Okocha went on to become one of Nigeria’s most celebrated footballers, Reis moved into coaching after ending his playing career. The connection to Nigerian football runs deeper than a historical footnote: Reis now finds himself managing two Nigerian internationals in Onuachu and Nwaiwu, both of whom are part of the Super Eagles setup.
Reis returns to Turkey after a successful spell with Samsunspor between 2024 and 2026, where he guided the club to an unexpected third-place finish and qualification for the Europa League. He left Samsunspor in February after the club slipped into mid-table, then took charge of Bulgarian side Ludogorets in July. That stay proved brief, and Trabzonspor moved to bring him back to the Süper Lig.
“I have already worked in the Süper Lig, I am no newcomer here. I know the environment and I know how intense the games are here. I know the quality of the teams and the players. Therefore, I will not need weeks to be ready,” Reis said upon his appointment. He also addressed the prospect of working with Salah, who joined Trabzonspor in the summer on a two-year contract. “Working with a player of his calibre is probably one of the most beautiful things that can happen to a coach,” Reis said, before adding a note of caution. “To win games, we need not only Salah, but the entire team. We need all eleven players working hard”.
The appointment comes at a delicate moment for Onuachu, who is trying to regain an important role at Trabzonspor after making his move permanent in 2025 following an initial loan spell. The Nigerian striker was forced off with an injury against Gençlerbirliği and was subsequently left out of Eric Chelle’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month. His absence from the national team squad adds pressure as he seeks to re-establish himself at club level under a new manager.
Nwaiwu, on the other hand, was included in Chelle’s squad and will compete for his place under Reis while hoping to impress with the Super Eagles. The managerial change offers both Nigerian players a fresh opportunity to stake their claims, but it also introduces uncertainty as they adapt to Reis’s methods and preferences.
For Trabzonspor, the appointment represents an attempt to steady a season that has begun unevenly. The club currently sits ninth in the Süper Lig, already six points adrift of the top. Tekke’s resignation followed the club’s failure to qualify for the Europa League group stage, a setback that prompted the board to act. Reis’s immediate task will be to arrest the slide and reassert the club’s competitiveness in a league where Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe have set a demanding pace.
Reis’s familiarity with Turkish football is expected to work in his favour. His spell at Samsunspor demonstrated his ability to organise a team and extract results from limited resources, earning him recognition across the league. His previous experience with Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, where he was unable to prevent relegation, adds a note of caution to his record, but his Samsunspor tenure suggests he is better suited to the challenges of the Süper Lig than to the pressures of German football’s top flight.
The presence of Salah at Trabzonspor has elevated the club’s profile considerably since the Egyptian’s arrival in the summer. Salah, a Liverpool legend who spent years working under Jürgen Klopp, has now signed a two-year deal on the Black Sea coast. His partnership with Onuachu had been the subject of considerable anticipation before the Nigerian’s injury, with pundits predicting that Salah’s arrival would create space for Onuachu to thrive. Whether Reis can make that partnership work will be a central question of his tenure.
For Nigerian football followers, the appointment carries an added layer of interest. Okocha’s connection to Reis gives the story a familiar thread, and the presence of Onuachu and Nwaiwu means that Trabzonspor will command attention from Super Eagles supporters throughout the season. Onuachu’s injury and his omission from the national squad for the upcoming qualifiers have raised concerns about his form and fitness, and his performances under Reis will be closely scrutinised as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the longer-term ambitions of the national team.
Reis, for his part, has struck a measured tone. He acknowledged Salah’s stature but emphasised the collective over the individual, a message that may resonate with a squad seeking to rediscover its identity. “We need all eleven players working hard,” he said, a sentiment that reflects the pragmatic approach he brought to Samsunspor.
Trabzonspor’s next fixtures will offer the first indications of how quickly Reis can impose his methods. The club’s Conference League campaign, where they will face Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the group stage, adds another layer of difficulty to an already demanding schedule. For Onuachu and Nwaiwu, the coming weeks represent a chance to prove themselves to a new coach and, in Onuachu’s case, to work his way back into the Super Eagles picture. For Reis, the task is to stabilise a club with significant expectations and a squad that includes one of the world’s most recognisable footballers. The early signs will be watched closely in Trabzon, in Lagos, and in Cairo.
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