After being deemed surplus to requirements at the Etihad with Manchester City, Iheanacho made the switch to the Foxes, in a deal believed to be worth £25 million. It was a sizable fee for a player who was mostly used as an impact substitute by the Citizens, and the pressure to hit the ground running was on for a forward just out of his teenage years.
Iheanacho has been forced to earn the admiration of the Leicester supporters, and after finishing the 2018-19 season with just two goals to his name, there were questions on if he was going to make it at Leicester.
Fast forward to the end of the 2020-21 campaign, and Iheanacho is now one of the first names on the team sheet for Leicester, who are 5.50 in the football betting to finish in the Premier League’s top four next season. An impressive 16 goals in the last three months of the season was a phenomenal return from a player still learning his trade. Those goals were key in helping Brendan Rodgers’ side win their first-ever FA Cup, as they overcame eventual European champions, Chelsea, in the final at Wembley.
Is There Even More to Come?
Iheanacho ended the season with 19 goals, to finish as the club’s top goalscorer. Jamie Vardy has finished top goalscorer for the Foxes for the past five years, but that fine end to the season for the Nigerian international saw Iheanacho finish top of the pile.
It certainly bodes well for next season, as Rodgers’ side looks to build on what was a positive campaign. There might be some disappointment that the Foxes could not secure Champions League football, but there is no doubt the club has moved in the right direction. Young players like Iheanacho, Harvey Barnes, and Wesley Fofana enjoyed strong campaigns. The trio could be the foundation of Leicester’s future if the club can make sure other interested clubs are kept at bay over the summer transfer window.
At just 24 years old, there is still plenty more to come from Iheanacho, who now looks to have truly settled into his surroundings in the East Midlands. The Owerri-born striker has proved to himself, as well as others, he has what it takes to be a top forward in the Premier League.
The target for Iheanacho next season will be to have a 20+ goals campaign, which could be enough to help see the Foxes make what would be a well-deserved return to the Champions League.