Iheanacho Leaves Leicester

By Akinwale Kasali

Super Eagles out of favour striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, is set to dump Leicester City for a new lease of life in a yet to be known club side in Europe, either in England or any other league among the top tier leagues in Europe.

Iheanacho has been relegated to the bench by his club coach, Brendan Rodgers, and has just made a cameo appearance in the Barclays English Premier League this season.

He was an unused substitute in his team’s 4-0 triumph over Luton Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Since his move to the King Power Stadium last season, during the reign of Claude Puel as the coach of Leicester City, Iheanacho is yet to record 10 goals. Relegating him to the bench, and, he, becoming the fourth preferred striker to Youri Tielemens, Jamie Vardy and Demerai Gray, have not helped him.

His inability to get playing time at Leicester City cost him  being part of the Super Eagles team that hoisted the nation’s flag at the 2019 CAF African Cup of Nations Championship in Egypt in June, where Nigeria won Bronze medal at the continental showpiece.

Though he was called back into the national team for the international friendly against Ukraine, he never partook in the game  as he was benched all through.

Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr has given a Stern warning to Iheanacho that for him to get a regular call up into the team, he has to quit Leicester City and join another club for regular playing time.

To achieve this, Rohr’s brother is presently searching for a club for Iheanacho which is believed to be part of the criteria for him to remain in the Super Eagles fold.

It was this same Rohr’s brother,  a football agent, who masterminded the transfer of Paul Onuachu from Midtyjlland Football Club in Denmark, to RC Genk Football Club in Belgium.

Rohr’s brother is also in search of a club for Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu, who is presently unattached to any club after parting ways with his Israeli Club side, Hapoel Beer’Sheva Football Club.

With the 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers around the corner, and Nigeria grouped alongside Benin Republic, Lesotho and Sierra Leone, Rohr has said that any player not playing regularly for his club will be axed from his team and shouldn’t expect a call up.

The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will also commence early next year. With the influx of new players invited into the Super Eagles fold, the competitiveness has made every player to gear up in a bid to cement a place in the team by playing regularly for their club sides.