Manchester City: Kelechi Iheanacho’s time in Manchester is up
By Kee Min
After mustering up only five starts this Premier League season, Kelechi Iheanacho’s future in the Etihad looks dim. What is the next step for the young Nigerian?
When Kelechi Iheanacho first stepped on the field for his Manchester City debut, the anticipation was high. The same anticipation and expectation only grew more when he scored his first professional goal – a last minute winner against Crystal Palace. At the end of his first season, Iheanacho finished with the best goals-to-minutes ratio of all players. He also scored third-most goals in Manchester City. All while only starting eleven games.
The future looked bright for the kid.
His sophomore season started off with a bang, recording a goal and an assist to lead City past United. However, he found himself on the bench more and more, slowly morphing into obscurity. By the end of the season, Iheanacho was struggling to find consistent minutes. Even Nolito was ahead of him in the pecking order.
The emergence of Gabriel Jesus as the new wonder kid in Manchester City ranks have pushed the Nigerian out of the spotlight. With the Brazilian capturing the hearts of the supporters and the manager, Iheanacho’s place on the team became smaller and smaller. Add the veteran Sergio Aguero to the mix, and his chance of starting drastically goes down.
Jesus did not help, but there were clear signs of discontent from Pep beforehand. While Iheanacho is a poacher, a goal-scorer, Guardiola always demands something extra from all of his players. Even Aguero was not exempt from this. He simply does not fit the manager’s scheme.
Iheanacho now faces the crossroad of his career. At a young age of 20, he must be playing regular football. While he claims that he wants to fight for his place on the team, that may not be in his hands. Manchester City is looking to clear out the extra fats and raise some cash ahead of an expensive summer ahead and placed a £25m valuation on the Nigerian striker.
The fact that they placed a valuation on his head is worrisome enough. The team is clearly ready to sell, despite the fact that Iheanacho signed a new contract just last season. There is no question that he should leave. He must leave if he wants to become a successful striker in the Premier League.
There is no doubt that Iheanacho will be a successful player in the Premier League. It just will not happen in Manchester. With West Ham, Leicester City, and a hoard of other clubs interested in him, the Nigerian will find a place to call home soon. Perhaps he can develop like Romelu Lukaku did after Chelsea sold him off and prove the Man City board wrong.
Related Story: Tosin Adarabioyo’s new contract: Is it really a good news?
However, this transfer saga dips into something deeper. Iheanacho is a Manchester City player – a graduate of the academy. There has not been a first-team regular that went through the youth ranks since Micah Richards. The fact that the club is not willing to push a home-grown talent – something that this team is severely lacking – is worrisome. While Gabriel Jesus’ talent is undeniable and Mbappe Lottin is tempting, the team and the fans must not forget about our own kids back home.
What should Manchester City and Kelechi Iheanacho do? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter!
Next: Manchester City: Aaron Mooy’s transfers show what is best for business