Kelechi Iheanacho’s highly anticipated debut for Sevilla FC may be put on hold due to the club’s inability to register him for the upcoming La Liga season.
The Nigerian striker joined Sevilla on a free transfer from Leicester City this summer, but the club’s failure to meet La Liga’s financial requirements for player registration has put his participation in doubt.
According to reports, Sevilla have not registered Iheanacho due to limited space on their roster, with only one spot available for registration. The club must choose between registering Iheanacho or fellow new signing Lucien Agoume, with the latter likely to be prioritized due to the team’s midfield needs.
To register both players, Sevilla would need to offload an existing player to meet La Liga’s financial requirements, a task that seems daunting with only two days until their season opener against Las Palmas.
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Iheanacho impressed in his unofficial debut for Sevilla last weekend, scoring in a 4-1 friendly loss to Liverpool. However, his official debut may be delayed until the club resolves their registration issues.
The Nigerian Superstar who broke into the world football scene after winning the golden ball in the 2013 U-17 world cup.
Iheanacho began his senior career at Manchester City during the 2015–16 season, winning the Football League Cup.
Kelechi Iheanacho in action on his unofficial debut for Sevilla. Photo Credit: Getty Images
He moved to Leicester City in 2017 for a reported £25 million fee, the largest ever transfer amount for a Nigerian player at the time and the second-largest for an African player after Egyptian Mohamed Salah.
Iheanacho was instrumental in Leicester City’s 2020–21 FA Cup success, scoring a joint-high four goals across the edition as the club won the trophy for the first time. He also scored the match’s sole goal from the penalty spot as Leicester lifted the 2021 FA Community Shield. He moved to Sevilla this summer as a free agent after seeing through his contract at Leicester City after a 7 year spell.
Sevilla will likely find a solution to register Iheanacho before the transfer window closes, but for now, the Nigerian striker’s debut remains on hold.
