Sevilla signs Nigerian forward

The Nigerian contingent at Spanish La Liga club Sevilla has risen to two after the club signed Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho on a two-year contract. Iheanacho last played for Premier League club Leicester City, where he ran out his contract, which ended last season.

The 27-year-old spent the last seven seasons at Leicester after moving to the Foxes from Manchester City, where he broke out in 2015/2016. However, despite winning the FA Cup with Leicester City, Kelechi Iheanacho never reached the heights expected of him. Last season, he only managed six goals and two assists in 25 matches.

The majority of those appearances were cameos. It was a disappointing end for the attacker, who was signed by Leicester for €25m from Manchester City. In total, he played 173 matches while scoring around 35 goals.

However, the move to Sevilla is expected to be a rejuvenating experience for him, especially as he will be linking up with fellow Nigerian international Chidera Ejuke, who also moved to Sevilla on a free transfer from Russian side CSKA Moscow.

Meanwhile, Iheanacho landed in Seville on Tuesday ahead of the medical that will seal the deal and make Sevilla a replacement for Youssuf En-Nesyri. En-Nesyri has since joined Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Sevilla are former European champions after winning back-to-back UEFA Europa League titles, but last season, they performed poorly and were not featured on the European scene. 

A poor finish in the 2023/2024 season, saw them end the term in a lowly 14th position. However, the club is set for a pre-season tour of Asia as they played Japanese clubs Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu.

Sevilla will also play friendly against English Premier League clubs Fulham and Liverpool before beginning the campaign for the 2024/2025 season against Las Palmas.