Kelechi Iheanacho has revealed reasons behind turning his back on the prospect of playing in the UEFA league with Celtic.
He says he “asked my agent to make sure he does everything possible to make sure I come to Bursaspor” despite being offered a new contract by Celtic.
The 29-year-old Nigerian striker had signed a one-year contract with Celtic in September having left Sevilla following a loan spell with Middlesbrough.
A deadline for the Scottish champions to extend Iheanacho’s contract by a further year lapsed, but Celtic manager Martin O’Neill later revealed that he wanted the forward to stay and that he had been offered a new deal.
However, last week, Iheahacho instead joined Bursaspor, who won the TFF Second League last season and are aiming for a second promotion in a row back to the Turkish Super Lig.
In his first interview with his new club, he expressed his happiness and excitement at his move and said: “To be fair, Bursaspor is a big club in Turkey and I had heard that they had previously won the Turkish Super Lig.
“When I heard about their project, that they wanted to climb up to the Super Lig and also play in Europe, I said that this is a big project and it’s very good for me to come and be involved and help the team.
“So, I asked my agent to make sure he does everything possible to make sure I come to Bursaspor. My target is for us to go to the Super Lig.”
Comparing his new shirt with Celtic’s, Iheahacho added: “It’s the same green and white, to be fair. I don’t know if it’s deja vu, like they say in French.
“It’s the same shirt, but Celtic is a bit lighter green, Bursaspor is dark green. It’s a little bit different, but it’s all similar. It’s all good.”
Responding to reports that Iheanacho had been offered £47,000 per week to join Bursaspor, club president Enes Celik had revealed he will earn an annual salary of £1.2m (£23,000 per week) and insisted the striker had chosen “the project over the money” offered elsewhere.
Asked about the failure to retain Iheanacho, O’Neill said: “There are two sides to every particular transfer as there is to every story.
“I thought we had a deal with him at the time, but seemingly that wasn’t the case and so he’s gone to new pastures”.
