Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho has seen his hopes of revitalising his career in Spain extinguished following Sevilla’s sporting director Victor Orta admitting the club made a mistake in signing the forward.
The 28-year-old moved to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán last summer following a frustrating final season at Leicester City, where he played a peripheral role in their Championship-winning campaign.
Although he managed three goals in the Copa del Rey against lower-tier opposition, Iheanacho failed to make an impact in La Liga, scoring just once in 11 appearances, mostly from the bench.
His future at Sevilla now appears closed following the dismissal of coach García Pimienta and the appointment of Joaquín Caparrós.
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Orta publicly expressed regret over Kelechi Iheanacho’s signing during Monday’s press conference.
“I want to clarify that the first two strikers were brought in as complements to practically be the third striker.
“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.”
Iheanacho’s struggles led to a January loan move to Middlesbrough, where he’s only recently shown flashes of form. He netted his first goal in a 2–1 win over Oxford United two weeks ago and followed up with two assists at Blackburn, offering a glimpse of his potential.
Head coach Eric Chelle also left him out of Nigeria’s squad during the March 2025 international window for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The Super Eagles' next event is the Unity Cup, which will feature Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Whether Iheanacho will earn a recall in May remains to be seen.
With the tournament and World Cup qualifiers ahead, the pressure is firmly on the forward to finish the season strongly, or risk slipping further down the national team pecking order.
