I saw Kelechi Iheanacho enjoy the best spell of his career under Brendan Rodgers, he can get him firing at Celtic

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Celtic’s transfer deadline day was a bitter disappointment.

In the end, only one player signed for the Hoops on the final day as Sebastian Tounekti’s move was confirmed late on.

Hammarby said they couldn’t refuse Celtic’s offer for Tounekti after they matched the Swedish club’s price tag.

No striker came in despite the sale of Adam Idah to Swansea City after Kasper Dolberg opted to sign for Ajax instead.

With less than an hour of the window to go, Celtic began talks with Kelechi Iheanacho, who was subsequently released by Sevilla to allow the Hoops more time to complete the deal.

Talks between Iheanacho and Rodgers are set to resume, and while fans are underwhelmed, my first-hand account of the two working together suggests that this transfer could work.

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Kelechi Iheanacho under Brendan Rodgers was unstoppable at times

During the period Rodgers and Iheanacho worked at Leicester City, the Foxes were in a golden era.

A few years on after winning the Premier League, Leicester were competing for the Champions League spots, where Iheanacho came into his own.

In the 2020/21 season particularly, the Nigeria international enjoyed a real purple patch as his goals fired the Foxes to the FA Cup final, which they went on to win for the first time in their history.

While he may not be the fastest, the 28-year-old is capable of sitting on the shoulder of the last man and breaking between the lines, as well as holding up the ball and bringing midfielders into the game or shifting the ball out wide.

Rodgers knows how to get the best out of him and if he can get him firing when nobody fancied him to succeed at Leicester, I think he can do the same at Celtic Park.

What has Brendan Rodgers said about Kelechi Iheanacho?

The Celtic boss always knew it would be tough to give the Nigerian a run of minutes when he had Jamie Vardy in his prime.

However, he acknowledged that Iheanacho is full of talent and in April 2021, discussed how he had gotten the best out of him.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rodgers said: “I am delighted for him because he is such a conscientious guy, such an honest guy, and as you can see now, a very talented player.

“I know when I came here that there were probably times when there were grumbles if he was playing but he has very quickly won over people. That is just through hard work, resilience and talent. What you are seeing is a young player at the top of his game”