Sevilla’s sporting director Victor Orta has dropped a shocking revelation about Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho, admitting that the club made a major mistake by signing him last summer.
Once considered one of Nigeria’s most promising forwards, Iheanacho’s career has been on a downward spiral over the past two years.
After a forgettable season at Leicester City where he mostly warmed the bench during their Championship-winning campaign Iheanacho became a free agent and made the jump to La Liga with high hopes.
But his time at Sevilla has turned into a nightmare.
Despite a few goals in the Copa del Rey against lower-league teams, Iheanacho never hit his stride in the Spanish top flight.
READ MORE:NFF vs Chukwu: Truth or cover up? Inside the war of words over the Chairman’s $128K
He managed just one goal in 11 La Liga appearances, the majority of which came as a substitute. His lack of form and consistency quickly raised concerns within the club.
Photo Credit: Imago
Now, with Sevilla undergoing changes—including the sacking of manager García Pimienta and the arrival of Joaquín Caparrós—Orta has come clean on one of the club’s most disappointing signings of the season.
“It’s clear that betting on Kelechi this season was a mistake, and we are currently analyzing how and why that decision was made,” Orta said during Monday’s press conference.
“He was intended as a complementary option, essentially a third-choice striker behind Youssef and Isaac, but the move didn’t work out.”
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
As a result of his struggles, Iheanacho was loaned out to Championship side Middlesbrough, where his early performances were inconsistent. However, there are recent signs of life he broke his goal drought with a strike against Oxford United and followed it up with two assists in a win over Blackburn.
