If He Was That Good – Former Scotland Star Warns On Celtic New Boy | OneFootball

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Former Scotland international Alan Rough has rubbished Celtic signing Kelachi Iheanacho and cast doubt on how good the Nigeria striker is.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers wanted to add more firepower to his attacking department in the transfer window and signing a top centre forward was high on his list.

They could not manage to reach an agreement with Anderlecht to sign Kasper Dolberg and also saw other avenues come to nothing.

Celtic did manage to sign a striker though as Iheanacho, who terminated his contract with Sevilla, was able to join as a free agent.

Signing Iheanacho has not gone down well with many fans, especially given Celtic also sold Adam Idah.

There are often concerns about free agent players regarding their fitness and Rough warned that the striker cannot take four or five weeks’ time to settle into the squad.

He pointed out that Celtic needed a striker who can come in and start firing for them straight away and he believes that Rodgers is backing the 28-year-old on the basis of how good he was at Leicester.

However, Rough is of the view that if Iheanacho was any good then he would have stayed with Sevilla rather than joining Celtic.

“If Brendan Rodgers comes out and says that this new striker needs four or five weeks to settle, I mean, there will be an outcry”, Rough said on PLZ Soccer (4:09).

“Celtic were looking for a number nine to come in right away and score goals.

“This boy needs to come in and show everybody that he can score goals.

“He has not done it in the past.

“It is one of the reasons they have let him go. I mean, if he was that good, he would not be coming.

“He would have stayed at the club he was at and obviously they released him from his contract, so there is no money involved, so high hopes.

“Brendan Rodgers is pinning on what he saw at Leicester City; I don’t know how many years ago that was, but he obviously has set it on fire to get to Seville, but after that there has been nothing.”

Iheanacho featured for four seasons under Rodgers at Leicester and helped the Foxes to win the FA Cup, netting 19 goals in that campaign in all competitions.

He moved to Sevilla last summer and after a disappointing first half of the season he was loaned to Middlesbrough in January, but he failed to make his mark.

Now Iheanacho will be eager to prove his doubters wrong and will be ready to help Rodgers’s Celtic defend their Scottish Premiership title.