October 18, (THEWILL) – Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho is enjoying a resurgence at Turkish Division two side, Bursaspor following a summer move to the modest club. Iheanacho’s form in Turkey comes after spells with several clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester City, Sevilla and Celtic.
Iheanacho on his day, can be a dangerous player for the opponent, but inconsistency has been his bane for years, which contributed to the instability he has experienced since leaving Leicester City. He started his European club journey at Man City, where he made 64 appearances, scoring 21 goals and seven assists.
Iheanacho was unable to establish himself at the Etihad Stadium before moving to Leicester City in 2017. He found his bearing at the King Power Stadium, chipping in occasional impressive performances that drew him to the club’s supporters.
At Leicester City, he scored 57 goals, and recorded 34 assists in 232 appearances. The club opted against renewing his contract in 2024, and the ‘Senior Man’ as he is fondly called, was club hunting.
A Much Heralded Move To Sevilla Failed To Work Out. When Iheanacho joined Sevilla after leaving Leicester City, football fans were excited for the opportunity to see him play for a club with European antecedents.
However, Their excitement soon turned to disappointment after his poor start to life in Spain befor e the club terminated his contract following his underwhelming performances which resulted in three goals in nine matches.
A year after joining Sevilla he became a free agent again before he teamed up with Scottish League giants Celtic, a few days after he left Sevilla. At Celtic, Iheanacho found it difficult to nail down a starting shirt as it was at his previous clubs, but he embraced his substitute role and delivered when it mattered most.
Iheanacho started just five games for Celtic and came off the bench in 19 matches, but despite that he played his way into the heart of the club’s supporters with late goals, leading them to a domestic double. He scored nine goals and provided one assist in all competitions for the club.
Iheanacho’s contract ended at the end of last season but he could not get a contract renewal with the club before moving on to Bursaspor.
Stability At Last For Iheanacho At Bursaspor. Iheanacho quickly completed another free transfer move to Bursaspor in the Turkish Division two League.
He quickly announced himself to the club’s supporters with a goal and one assist in his debut against Bodrum FK and he has not stopped scoring since then. Iheanacho has now scored in 10 consecutive matches for Bursaspor, which has drawn praises from the club’s fans, administrators and even the neutrals.
Iheanacho’s goal have given the club a reliable source of attacking input, while his ability to create chances offers the team another dimension in the final third.
He entered into the record books on Thursday with another remarkable performance against Muglaspor with a brace and one assist to become the latest player to score in 10 consecutive matches in Turkish football.
He has overtaken the likes of Galatasaray legend Metin Oktay and former Turkey international Saffet Sancaklı. Oktay scored in nine consecutive matches for Galatasaray in the Super League in the 1962–63 season, while Sancaklı equaled the feat with Kocaelispor in the 1995–96 campaign.
The consistency that was his bane at his previous clubs has become a thing of the past with the Super Eagles star proving doubters wrong to fight his way back into reckoning.
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Critics may argue that he is thriving in a pressure free environment because Bursaspor are playing in the Division two, but without quality you can’t produce the type of numbers he has been churning out since he joined.
Another Super Eagles Chance For Iheanacho. Iheanacho’s new-found attracted the attention of Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, who invited him for the friendly match against Russia.
He repaid Chelle’s faith in him with a goal in the first half of the encounter. Iheanacho has struggled to find consistency while playing for Nigeria despite playing in a variety of positions.
In the current Super Eagles set-up, Iheanacho may not be able to cement a starting shirt due to the form of the trio Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams. In the past, Iheanacho played in the forward position and the number 10 position for Nigeria, but he has failed to consistently impress to get another chance.
Iheanacho has been playing as a number nine for Bursaspor, it will be difficult for him to get a spot in that position with Victor Osimhen available. Alex Iwobi has locked down the number 10 position, making it difficult for him to return to the team. Eric Chelle has to find a way to inculcate Iheanacho back into the team due to his impressive run of form for Bursaspor. He will be hoping to get a chance to play for the team in a competitive match.
Iheanacho has grabbed his first major opportunity to play as a starter with his full hands and he is showing his predatory instinct. He is surely enjoying his best run as a professional player.
