12th August, 2024
27-year-old Nigerian hot-shot, Kelechi Iheanacho, is leaving English football to put pen to paper on a two-year contract with La Liga side Sevilla. After a seven-year spell with Leicester City, Iheanacho has opted for pastures new and a fresh challenge for his career.
Iheanacho made just 23 appearances for the Foxes last season, with former Leicester boss, Enzo Maresca, preferring the likes of Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka to Iheanacho. This was largely due to Iheanacho expressing a desire to run down his contract which expired in June 2024.
In July, reports suggested Iheanacho’s representatives were locked in negotiations with two Premier League clubs. Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town were said to have made formal contract proposals to Iheanacho, with the aim of convincing him to stay in England. Iheanacho also had offers on the table from Turkish and Greek clubs, so it was somewhat of a surprise to hear of Sevilla’s interest.
Sevilla is not expected to pull up many trees in the 2024/25 La Liga campaign. Betano’s futures sports betting markets have them priced at +2900 to win, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Girona, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad expected to be a cut above the Andalucian club. There’s been a clear drop-off in quality for Sevilla having finished third in 2019/20 and fourth in both 2020/21 and 2021/22. They lost 17 of their 38 La Liga games last season, something that hasn’t occurred since 1999/00.
Sevilla appears to be remodeling its forward line, with Iheanacho the second forward to join in the close season. Racing Santander’s Peque Fernandez joined in a €4 million deal, while midfield loanees Albert Lokonga and Saul Niguez should offer more dynamism and bite in the middle of the park.
Where does Iheanacho fit in at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan?
First and foremost, Kelechi Iheanacho feels like he has been at the elite level of professional football forever. He made his first senior appearance in a Manchester City jersey back in 2015, almost a decade ago. The Owerri-born goal scorer notched 12 goals in 46 games for City before making the move to former Premier League champions, Leicester City, in 2017.
Aside from the 2023-24 season, when Leicester suffered relegation, Iheanacho has spent his entire career in the top flight of English football. He’s plied his trade in the Champions League too. This means Iheanacho has the mentality and character to perform consistently on the biggest stage.
As for his specific attributes, Iheanacho has always been blessed with ice in his veins when through on goal. His finishing is clinical, while his movement is typically razor-sharp. He’s someone that’s well-suited to being the fulcrum of a counter-attacking team. He carries a real threat on the break, with his ability to go through the gears and play through the lines to teammates equally important.
As a link man, Iheanacho also excels. He is adept at dropping deep and laying the ball off to others and he enjoys goal attempts from distance too.
From a pure value perspective, Sevilla is capturing a Premier League striker on a free transfer who could have been worth £20-£25m on the open market if he was contracted to Leicester for 2024/25.
Iheanacho should have no problems settling into life at Sevilla. Compatriot, Chidera Ejuke, has joined Sevilla this summer after spending last season on loan with Belgian outfit, Royal Antwerp. The 26-year-old left winger could strike up a fearsome partnership with Iheanacho.
Although there are positive signs of signing both Iheanacho and Ejuke, both recruits are bargain basement additions for a club of Sevilla’s stature. With the likes of Girona and Real Sociedad seemingly overtaking Sevilla as La Liga’s “best of the rest” after Real and Barcelona, there’s a long way for Los Nervionenses to go to return to the top table of Spanish football.
