There are decisions in football that defy logic, and then there is the move Kelechi Iheanacho has just made. The Nigerian striker, a man who once look...
There are decisions in football that defy logic, and then there is the move Kelechi Iheanacho has just made. The Nigerian striker, a man who once looked the part for Manchester City and Leicester, has turned down a new contract at Celtic Park.You would be forgiven for raising an eyebrow. Celtic offered him a platform. Celtic offered him Champions League football. Celtic offered him the chance to be the main man in front of sixty thousand on a European night. Instead, Iheanacho has chosen Bursaspor.Let that sink in. A newly promoted side in the Turkish second tier.What on earth is the thinking here Is it about money Perhaps. Bursaspor are a sleeping giant with a fanatical fanbase, but they are a long way from the top flight, let alone European competition. For a player of Iheanacho's pedigree, a man whose left foot can produce moments of clinical finishing that most can only dream of, this feels like a staggering step down.You look at the tactical fit. Celtic play with a high energy, transitional style. They break teams down with relentless pressure. Iheanacho, at his best, is a clever link man, a poacher who thrives in the box. He could have been the missing piece for Brendan Rodgers, the man to unlock stubborn low blocks in the Scottish Premiership. That is a very specific skill set he possesses.Now he will be the man for Bursaspor, carrying the weight of a huge club trying to claw its way back to the Super Lig. It is a gamble of monumental proportions. One has to wonder if his agent has been whispering sweet nothings about being the star of a project, or if the simple financial package was just too good to refuse. Either way, he has bottled the chance to test himself in the cauldron of the Champions League.For Celtic, this is a blow but not a disaster. They will move on, they always do. But for Iheanacho This feels like a quiet surrender from a player who should be entering his prime in a top five league. The Turkish second tier is a gruelling, physical environment. It is full of players who would love to have half his talent. He had better be ready for the fight, because there is no safety net here. This is not a loan to find form. This is a permanent goodbye to elite European football.Questions will be asked. Was the Celtic offer insufficient Did he feel unwanted Or is this simply a man who has lost his hunger for the very top Whatever the answer, the career trajectory of Kelechi Iheanacho has taken a very strange, very unexpected turn.
