Romeo Akachukwu
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 May 2006[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Southampton | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2022 | Waterford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Waterford | 25 | (0) |
| 2024– | Southampton | 1 | (0) |
| 2026 | → Colchester United (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Republic of Ireland U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Republic of Ireland U17 | 14 | (3) |
| 2023–2025 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 21 | (0) |
| 2025– | Republic of Ireland U21 | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:05, 22 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:57, 31 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Romeo Akachukwuⓘ (born 28 May 2006) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Southampton.[2]
Club career
Waterford
Akachukwu played for Ferrybank prior to joining Waterford. His performances for Waterford included a first senior hat-trick in the 2023 League of Ireland First Division play-off semi-final against Athlone Town.[3]
Southampton
He agreed to join Southampton from Waterford in 2024, for a reported initial fee of €375,000, with another €125,000 in potential add-ons.[4][5] He was included in Southampton's match-day squad for the EFL Cup tie against Cardiff City on 28 August 2024, making his debut as a second-half substitute.[6][7]
On 2 February 2026, Akachukwu joined Colchester United on loan for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.[8] He made his debut for the club on 7 February in a 2–0 victory against Shrewsbury Town after he replaced Arthur Read in the 74th minute.[9]
On 8 August 2026, Akachukwu scored his first goal for Southampton in a 2–0 away victory against his former loan club Colchester United in the EFL Cup.[10]
International career
Born in Ireland, Akachukwu is of Nigerian descent and holds dual citizenship. He played for the Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team at the 2023 European U17 Championships.[11] After making 21 appearances for the Republic of Ireland U19s, on 28 August 2025, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad.[12]
Career statistics
- As of match played 25 August 2026[13]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Waterford | 2022 | League of Ireland First Division | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | League of Ireland First Division | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 4[c] | 3 | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2024 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | 3 | 31 | 4 | |||
| Southampton | 2024–25[14] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[15] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2026–27[16] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Colchester United (loan) | 2025–26[15] | League Two | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 41 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 50 | 5 | ||
References
- 1 2 "Romeo Akachukwu Southampton Midfielder, Profile & Stats". Premier League. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ↑ "Romeo Akachukwa". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ Norris, Jordan (5 August 2024). "Waterford's Romeo Akachukwu seals €500k move to Southampton". wlrfm. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ Fitzmaurice, Aidan (17 February 2024). "Waterford's teen attacker Romeo Akachukwu, 17, seals €500,000 move in the summer to Championship side Southampton". Independent.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ House, Alfie (29 June 2024). "Irish starlet agrees to sign for Southampton and ends lengthy pursuit". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ "Cardiff City vs. Southampton". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ "Report: Rotated Saints see off Cardiff in chaotic cup tie". Southampton FC. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ↑ "Akachukwu joins Colchester on loan". Southampton FC. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ "7 February 2026". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ↑ George, Dan (8 August 2026). "Colchester United 0–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ Byrne, Tom (23 May 2023). "WATCH: Waterford FC youngster scores worldie for Ireland U17 at European Championship". Waterfordlive. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ↑ "Under-21 squad named for Moldova & Andorra qualifiers". www.fai.ie.
- ↑ Romeo Akachukwu at Soccerway. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ↑ "Games played by Romeo Akachukwu in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- 1 2 "Games played by Romeo Akachukwu in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "Games played by Romeo Akachukwu in 2026/2027". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 2006 births
- Living people
- Men's association football midfielders
- Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
- Irish people of Nigerian descent
- Waterford F.C. players
- Southampton F.C. players
- Colchester United F.C. players
- League of Ireland players
- English Football League players
- Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in England
- Irish expatriate sportspeople in England
- 21st-century Irish sportsmen