Kelechi Iheanacho would improve most team’s strikeforce – but he’d surely thrive by following in Patrick Roberts’ footsteps and swapping City for Celtic.
When Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer, Kelechi Iheanacho surely couldn’t contain his excitement.
After all, this is a manager who has transformed countless players into bonafide world stars and one of the most committed believers in young talents. However, it’s fair to say the 20-year-old will hardly be thrilled with his contribution towards Guardiola’s debut season in English football.
He’s only started five Premier League games all season, netting four goals. Meanwhile, the arrival of Gabriel Jesus has only pushed Iheanacho further down the pecking order.
As such, the Daily Mail reports that Guardiola could even be open to offers for one of world football’s most exciting young strikers with Borussia Dortmund keen to take him to Germany.
However, perhaps this is an indication for Celtic to revisit those old connections once again. After all, the Scottish champions appear to have an excellent relationship with the Etihad giants.
Loan stars
Patrick Roberts will return to Manchester a far better player on the back of 18 excellent months in Glasgow while Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata have both swapped sky blue for green and white in recent seasons, the former on loan and the latter on a permanent deal.
And just imagine how many goals Iheanacho would plunder in Scotland if Brendan Rodgers pulled off a major coup and snapped him up on loan for the season. After netting against Hull City on Boxing Day, the prolific marksman reduced his goals per minute rate to one every 96 minutes – the best record in the competition’s history, Sky Sports reports.
As it stands, it appears that another highly-rated young striker struggling for opportunities at an English giant is on Celtic’s radar. The Daily Record report Celtic will attempt to snap up Dominic Solanke on a free after he rejected a contract at Chelsea.
The 19-year-old, however, hasn’t even made his Premier League debut. Iheanacho, meanwhile, has proved he can cut it at the top level.
Perhaps Roberts could put in a good word for his former club.
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