Celtic could sign Iheanacho upgrade in "exceptional" free agent striker
da marjack bet： The summer transfer window officially slammed shut for another year on Monday night, without Celtic adding any number nines to their first-team squad.
da dobrowin： Adam Idah was allowed to complete a £6m transfer to EFL Championship side Swansea City on deadline day, but that exit was not followed up by a replacement.
This means that Celtic have sold Kyogo Furuhashi, who scored 85 goals in 165 games for the club, and Idah, who scored 29 goals in 76 matches for the club, in 2025.
Meanwhile, Shin Yamada, who has scored four goals in his last 39 matches in all competitions, is the only first-team striker who has been signed by Celtic this year, in January or the summer.
However, Celtic do still have a chance to bolster their squad because they can dip into the free agent market to find a striker to lead the line for them this season, after they failed to sign one before the end of the window.
Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph reports that the club will hold talks with former Manchester City star Kelechi Iheanacho after his contract at Sevilla was ripped up on Monday night, before the deadline.
Why Kelechi Iheanacho could be a good signing
Signing a free agent does not always have to be a bad thing, because plenty of players end up in unfortunate situations and may not have been able to show the best of themselves, leading to them being available at this time of the year.
Kelechi only played 11 matches in all competitions during his time with Sevilla in Spain, scoring three goals, which shows that he did not get too many opportunities to showcase his quality in front of goal.
He is a player Brendan Rodgers already knows incredibly well from their time together at Leicester City in England, which means that the Hoops boss knows that the striker has the quality to make an impact in front of goal at Parkhead.
Kelechi scored 43 goals in 143 matches with the Northern Irish boss as his manager at the King Power, per Transfermarkt, and has a lot of experience in the Premier League with Leicester and Manchester City.
Kelechi’s Premier League career
Season (appearances)
Goals
Assists
22/23 (28)
5
5
21/22 (26)
4
5
20/21 (25)
12
2
19/20 (20)
5
5
18/19 (30)
1
3
17/18 (21)
3
3
16/17 (20)
4
3
15/16 (26)
8
1
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old striker has a decent history of goals and assists in the English top-flight, including a 12-goal haul with Rodgers as his manager in the 2020/21 campaign.
These statistics and his relationship with the Celtic boss suggest that signing him could be a worthwhile gamble to bolster their options up front before they have a chance to reassess the situation in the January window.
Even if Kelechi comes through the door in the coming days on a free transfer, though, it does not mean that the Scottish Premiership champions have achieved what they set out to do.
Sky Sports reported that the Hoops wanted to sign two new strikers on deadline day, as Idah left to join Swansea, which means that they may have to make two free agent signings if they still want another number nine in the building.
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A quick look at the free agent market will tell you that there is another centre-forward available who will be well known to Rodgers, even if he has not managed him before.
Patrick Bamford was released by Leeds United last month after they were promoted to the Premier League, as they went with Joel Piroe, Lukas Nmecha, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as their frontline forward, and he could be an even better signing than Kelechi.
Why Celtic should sign Patrick Bamford
Rodgers will have managed against Bamford in the Premier League and will know what he is about, which could make him another sensible short-term addition on a free transfer to ensure that the club get two strikers in the building before the clash with Kilmarnock.
Like Kelechi, the 31-year-old marksman has excelled in the English top-flight in the past. In the 2020/21 campaign, when Kelechi scored 12 goals, the former Leeds man plundered an eye-catching haul of 17 goals and was hailed as “exceptional” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for his performances that term.
This shows that the former England international’s peak may be higher than the Nigeria international’s, because he scored five more goals at Premier League level that season than Kelechi did in any season in his career.
In recent history, both players failed to showcase their qualities with limited game time in the 2024/25 campaign, but they both featured for their sides in the 2023/24 Championship season, for Leeds and Leicester respectively, and Bamford came out on top.
23/24 Championship
Patrick Bamford
Kelechi Iheanacho
Appearances
33
23
xG
9.52
6.30
Goals
8
5
Shots on target per game
0.7
0.5
Assists
1
1
Ground duel success rate
40%
38%
Aerial duel success rate
39%
17%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Bamford scored more goals, offering a greater threat in front of goal, and was more impressive in his physical duels, particularly in the air.
These statistics suggest that Celtic may not get much in the way of hold-up or physical play from Kelechi, given his horrendous aerial duel success rate, and that could cause problems in European matches when the Hoops need their number nine to relieve pressure in big matches.
This means that Bamford, who won two Championship titles during his time at Elland Road, could be more effective as an outlet for Celtic in big games, domestically and in Europe, whilst also having the potential to offer a greater goal threat.
Therefore, bringing the English striker in as well as Kelechi could make a lot of sense for the Scottish giants, as it would give Rodgers the two number nine signings he wanted and offer the team different options in the centre-forward position.
Bamford’s statistics also suggest that he would simply be a better signing striker for the team than Kelechi as the main man up front, which is another reason why the club should swoop for him.