Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has opened up on why Kelechi Iheanacho slipped through his fingers, with the Nigerian striker instead opting for Turkish side Bursaspor.
Iheanacho impressed during a injury-hit loan spell at Celtic Park last season, but the Scottish champions let the one-year extension option in his contract lapse—clearing the path for the second-tier Turkish club to swoop in.
O’Neill admitted he was confident of securing the forward permanently, until Iheanacho’s wage demands of up to £50,000 per week proved a deal-breaker.
“There are always two sides to every transfer. He’s gone, I thought we had a deal with him at the time but that wasn’t the case,” O’Neill told the Daily Record.
“The option ran out, that’s fine. But the option would be to take someone on similar terms to before, so that’s where the difference was.”
The Celtic boss praised Iheanacho’s impact off the bench—noting he started just one game during O’Neill’s two spells—but conceded the forward chose his own path.
“He’s chosen to go elsewhere. If he’s gone to another club that’s his decision.”
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