Sevilla sporting director Victor Orta believes his decision to sign Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho last summer was a mistake, Soccernet.ng reports.
The last two years have been torrid for Iheanacho, as he has changed clubs twice. The Super Eagles star spent last season at Leicester, in their Championship-winning campaign. But he did not get minutes, as he featured in 23 games, most of which were off the bench.
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His contract at the club expired at the the end of the season. And he then moved to Sevilla last summer. Unfortunately, that deal has failed to yield results.
Although he scored three goals against two clubs in the Copa Del Rey against lower league sides, he struggled to perform at the same level in La Liga, as he scored once in 11 appearances － most of which were off the bench.
Due to Iheanacho's struggles at Sevilla, he had to move to English Championship club Middlesbrough.
He struggled in his first seven games for the club, but he got his first goal two weeks ago in Middlesbrough's 2-1 win over Oxford United. Then, he followed it up with two assists at Blackburn.
Sevilla sacked Garcia Pimienta las and unveiled Joaquin Caparros as the new coach on Monday. At the press conference, Orta spoke about Iheanacho and Akor Adams. And he expressed his regret at signing Iheanacho.
“I want to clarify that the first two strikers were brought in as complements, to be practically the third striker, because there was a starter like Youssef and a striker who later appeared, like Isaac,” Orta said.
“But it's clear that betting on Kelechi this season has been a mistake, and we will analyze why we made it—and we are doing so now.”
What Victor Orta's statement means for Kelechi Iheanacho
From Orta's statement, it is clear that there is no way back for Kelechi Iheanacho at Sevilla. So he has to step on the gas right now and improve.
If he ends the season on a strong note, he should be able to get another decent club in the summer or even stay at Middlesbrough. But if his struggles persists, Iheanacho's career could take a nosedive.
