AFCON 2025
Former Scotland defender John Inglis has urged Celtic to do everything possible to retain Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho, insisting the forward has already shown his value despite attracting interest from other clubs.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Inglis praised Iheanacho’s impact during his spell with the Scottish champions, highlighting his knack for scoring crucial goals and his clinical finishing ability.
“Celtic should absolutely look to keep Kelechi,” Inglis said. “I know how much he loved playing for the club last season and the joy he took from winning the big trophies. I think he proved himself with very important goals. Kelechi’s just a brilliant finisher in the box.”
Inglis also stressed the importance of the Nigerian international enjoying a full pre-season, believing it would allow him to hit top form from the start of the campaign. He noted that Iheanacho has missed pre-season preparations in recent years, forcing him to spend the early months of each season regaining fitness.
“What is vital is that he gets a full pre-season,” Inglis added. “Kelechi’s missed the last couple of pre-seasons and it’s left him having to play catch-up with his fitness going into the seasons that have followed. It happened again when he went to Celtic and it took him time to get up to speed.”
Despite speculation linking Iheanacho with a move elsewhere, Inglis remains hopeful the striker will stay at Celtic.
“I’d be delighted to see him stay at Celtic and I know he’d also be very happy about that. But other clubs are now being alerted to the fact he’s available,” he concluded.
Iheanacho’s future is expected to be one of the key transfer stories to watch this summer, with the Nigerian forward attracting growing interest after his contributions to Celtic’s successful campaign.
