The case for and against Celtic triggering Kelechi Iheanacho’s one-year contract option

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To say Kelechi Iheanacho’s short reign at Celtic so far has been frustrating would be an understatement.

The 29-year-old joined Celtic in interesting circumstances because the 2025 summer transfer window had frustrated fans, and then the club opted to sign Iheanacho on a free once the window had slammed shut.

Through no fault of the former Leicester City and Manchester City player, he wasn’t the striker Celtic fans were looking for after the exits of Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.

A lot has gone on during those subsequent months, as the man signed under Brendan Rodgers has a contract at Celtic until the summer, so should the champions of Scotland extend his stay in Glasgow?

67 Hail Hail looked at the pros and cons of it all.

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Should Celtic hand Kelechi Iheanacho a new contract?

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The argument for Celtic extending Kelechi Iheanacho’s stay at Celtic

The main gripe from Celtic supporters is the fact that Iheanacho can’t keep fit and stay out of the treatment room.

But when he has been on the field of play, his performances have been impressive, citing his performance and goal against Motherwell in October.

Iheanacho also came off the bench against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League, changed the tone of the match, scored and helped the Hoops to a valuable point.

Another impressive part of Iheanacho’s game is his hold-up play.

That physical threat in the final third has been lacking for a long time, but he has it in his locker, so it’s another positive argument towards him staying beyond this season.

The argument against handing Iheanacho a new contract

Injuries have hit Celtic hard this season. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston have hardly played, which has caused issues for the defence.

The last thing Celtic need is to hand a new contract to a player who has only played 561 minutes this term, and then go into the next campaign with that risk.

Then you have the new strikers who have entered the building. Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu.

Now, the duo have made bright starts. Adamu scored on debut, and Cvancara scored and assisted in his first two matches, then made a positive impact from the bench at Rugby Park.

If those two continue to produce the goods, then Celtic would rightfully push towards signing them up permanently in the summer, which would mean Iheanacho would have to look for a new club.