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 |
Colchester United (on loan from Southampton) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2022 | Waterford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Waterford | 25 | (0) |
| 2024– | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Colchester United (loan) | 9 | (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 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 06:26, 22 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:41, 14 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Romeo Akachukwuⓘ (born 28 May 2006) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Colchester United, on loan from 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]
Colchester United (loan)
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]
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.[10] 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.[11]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 March 2026[12]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | 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[a] | 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[13] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[14] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Colchester United (loan) | 2025–26[14] | League Two | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 41 | 4 | ||
- ^ Appearances in the 2023 League of Ireland First Division Promotion Playoffs
References
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Games played by Romeo Akachukwu in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2025.