In a recent print edition, Sport (29 July, page 15) offered an update on West Ham United and their pursuit of Kelechi Iheanacho who is now close to joining Sevilla this summer. It is believed that the Hammers made a strong push to sign the Nigerian talent but are now likely to miss out on him.
Iheanacho’s Up And Down Season At The King Power Stadium
Iheanacho had an inconsistent campaign at Leicester City recently but managed to catch the eye at times with his performances in the final third. The Nigeria international found the back of the net on six occasions and secured three assists in 26 matches for the Foxes last season across all competitions.
The 27-year-old made most of his appearances off the bench which explains why he only averaged 1.3 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the EFL Championship. He has also been tidy with his ball distribution after making 86.7% of his attempted passes in the second tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Iheanacho is currently a free agent, so it is no surprise that the Hammers tried to push hard to secure his services this summer.
What Should West Ham United Boss Julen Lopetegui Do With Regards To Iheanacho?
Iheanacho can engineer a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal. He can be a streaky goal-getter in the final third and can create the odd chance for his teammates up top. The Nigerian attacker is a good dribbler with the ball as well and hardly gives away possession cheaply in the opponent’s half. However, he needs to find a way to be more lethal in front of the opposition goal.
At the moment, Julen Lopetegui is in dire need of adding more quality to his match-day squad as both Michail Antonio and Danny Ings are edging closer to the end of their playing careers at the East London club.
Iheanacho has got some Premier League experience under his belt and would have added more firepower to West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui’s attack. However, the Hammers have now got no choice but to focus on some of their other transfer targets as Iheanacho looks set to sign for Sevilla soon.
