Two days ago, Celtic completed the signing on Kelechi Iheanacho, and this move allowed him to reunite with Brendan Rodgers and Kasper Schmeichel at Celtic Park.
Celtic were able to take him for free because Sevilla reached an agreement with the 28-year-old to terminate his contract.
The striker had joined Sevilla on a free transfer in 2024 and struggled to impress, which continued during his loan spell at Middlesbrough in the second half of last season.
Vamos Mi Sevilla FC report what convinced the La Liga club to release him. They say the Nigeria international has turned out to be one of the ‘most disappointing signings’ in the Andalusian club’s history.
The report states his performances were disappointing, also because he was ‘unable to be physically fit for the elite’. That didn’t stop Celtic from showing ‘strong interest’.
There were other offers on the table, but Iheanacho didn’t seem to have sufficient time to secure an exit before transfer deadline.
Therefore, Sevilla offered him an opportunity to terminate his contract, which was done at the last minute. They were pleased that Iheanacho agreed to this as it helped them register Alexis Sánchez.
Canal Sur’s La Jugada, relayed by El Desmarque, reports Iheanacho agreed to take a pay cut to continue at Sevilla. They submitted the documentation but it was rejected by La Liga, meaning his salary reduction didn’t come into effect.
Therefore, Sevilla started working on terminating his contract and did so minutes before the window closed. This allowed them to register Sánchez, while Celtic were able to sign the Nigerian on a free transfer.
