Trabzonspor have appointed Thomas Reis, a former teammate of Nigeria football legend Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, as their new head coach, placing him in charge of Super Eagles duo Paul Onuachu and Chibuike Nwaiwu.
The Turkish Super Lig club confirmed Reis’ appointment on Thursday, with the German taking over from Fatih Tekke, who resigned earlier this month.
The 52-year-old Reis played alongside Okocha at Eintracht Frankfurt between 1992 and 1995, featuring with the Nigerian in 10 matches across all competitions.
While Okocha went on to become one of Nigeria’s most celebrated footballers, Reis began his coaching career after retiring from professional football.
Reis returns to Turkey following a successful spell with Samsunspor, where he coached between 2024 and 2026.
He left the club in February before taking charge of Bulgarian side PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in July, but his tenure was short-lived.
His arrival at Trabzonspor comes at a crucial time for Onuachu, who is seeking to re-establish himself as a key player at the club after making his move permanent in 2025 following an initial loan spell from English Championship side Southampton.
The Nigerian striker was forced off with an injury during Trabzonspor’s match against Genclerbirligi and was subsequently omitted from Eric Chelle’s squad for this month’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Nwaiwu, meanwhile, was included in the squad and will now look to establish himself under the new manager while continuing to compete for a place in the Super Eagles.
