Kelechi Iheanacho was not met with much fanfare when he signed for Celtic.
After failed pursuits of strikers such as Kasper Dolberg left the Hoops without a striker at the transfer deadline, Brendan Rodgers was left with no choice but to link back up with the Nigerian striker on a free after his release from Sevilla.
It had been a tough few years for Iheanacho which also included an unimpressive loan spell at Middlesbrough.
But with the side in need of goals to replace those of Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah, he was very much the Hoops’ last hope.
It has been a positive start for Iheanacho with three goals (and one incorrectly disallowed). But another ex-Hoops striker has demanded more from the Hoops’ new number 17.
Chris Sutton on Celtic’s Kelechi Iheanacho
Iheanacho’s Celtic career got off to a perfect start with a late winner against Kilmarnock on his debut.
He marked his European bow with a goal too, finishing brilliantly in a 1-1 Europa League draw against Red Star Belgrade.
There are certainly reasons to be positive – we have seen plenty of strikers make far worse starts at Celtic.
But for Chris Sutton, there is one area of Iheanacho’s game where much is left to be desired – and it isn’t his fitness, which many have questioned.
In his column for the Daily Record, Sutton said: “Kelechi Iheanacho is an interesting one too. You’d expect him to get stronger the more he builds match fitness.
He’s made a decent start with his goal in Belgrade and the penalties against Kilmarnock and Motherwell.
You can see he’s a finisher, and his link up play is good. I think he could offer more in terms of his movement though.
Okay, he’s just come in and he hadn’t played a lot of football in recent months. He’s arrived on the back of a disappointing year or so at Sevilla and Middlesbrough.
The good thing about him is he seems to have bought into the club. It could be that this is the kind of move he needed to light a fire under him again, because we all know he’s got the talent.
“I’d just like to see a bit more in terms of mobility, getting into the box and getting across his man.”
What is Celtic’s first-choice front three?
Iheanacho, along with Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti, was a much-needed body added to the Hoops’ attack.
Where the concern is for Rodgers is the balance of the attack. Nicolas Kuhn’s ability to score and create goals by cutting in on his left foot from the right his now completely absent in the squad, with no replacement brought in through the window.
Daizen Maeda’s situation further complicates things. After revealing that he wanted to leave Celtic in the summer, he has played right across the front three since the closure of the window.
You could argue that it’s a nice problem for Rodgers to have, but with no obvious right-winger option, finding the right positions for the Hoops’ attackers has been a struggle so far.
