Kelechi Iheanacho has finally addressed his decision to turn down Celtic for a move to Turkish second tier side Bursaspor, pushing back on suggestions that money was the only factor behind the switch.
The Super Eagles forward had been one of the more talked about Nigerian names in the transfer market over the summer.
He joined Celtic on a free transfer last year and signed a one year deal, enduring a slow start before finding his scoring form in the second half of the campaign as the Scottish champions wrapped up the Premiership and Scottish Cup double.
Despite that improved form, Bursaspor moved quickly to sign him by mid-August, and reports soon suggested he had simply chased a bigger paycheck in Turkey.
Speaking to the Nigeria Football Federation, Iheanacho said every player has his own reasons for the club he picks in Turkey, adding that he is not sure how outsiders rate the league.
He pushed back on the idea that the Turkish top flight is an easy ride.
“a genuinely tough division and not as easy as people think.”
He added that anyone who comes to play there will find out for themselves whether it is easy or not.
As a player you have reasons why you go to any club that you go to in Turkey,” he said.
“For me football is the same all over the world wherever you go to and you have to play football just like you play everywhere.
“Some of us are in Turkey and the division I play there are lots of Nigerians there but it’s a good league to be fair, I don’t know how people rate the league but it’s a really good league and it’s not easy as we think. I’m enjoying it and they are enjoying it as well and you can say it favours Nigerians but it’s a good league.”
The move marks new territory for Iheanacho, who had never played outside Great Britain before this season despite stints at Manchester City, Leicester City, Sevilla, Middlesbrough and Celtic.
The timing of his comments comes just as the Super Eagles look toward the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Eric Chelle continuing to monitor the form of his forwards playing across Europe.
