Celtic legend Stiliyan Petrov has called on the club to pursue a more powerful, consistent striking option this summer and let Kelechi Iheanacho go — even after the Nigerian scored the 99th-minute penalty that kept the title race alive and played a key role in their dramatic final-day comeback against Hearts.
Kelechi Iheanacho helped Celtic win the Scottish Premiership this season with eight goals in 23 appearances across all competitions, including decisive late strikes against Dundee, Hibernian and Motherwell during the title run-in. The most iconic came in the 99th minute against Motherwell, a VAR-awarded penalty that he converted coolly to keep Celtic’s hopes alive heading into the final-day showdown with Hearts. Yet despite all of that, one of Celtic’s most celebrated former players believes the club must look elsewhere this summer, as reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng.
Stiliyan Petrov, speaking on The Scottish Football Social Club podcast, did not mince his words. He acknowledged what Iheanacho had contributed but argued that the ambitions of a club the size of Celtic demand something more than an impact substitute. He wants a striker who can compete for the starting position across a full season, who is consistently fit, mobile, and powerful — qualities he feels Iheanacho, at 29, does not reliably offer over the course of a campaign. Celtic hold an option to extend the Nigerian’s one-year deal by a further 12 months, but Petrov’s view is that exercising it would be the wrong call.
What Iheanacho Actually Delivered
The numbers, in fairness, make Petrov’s argument harder than it might first appear. Iheanacho scored five Scottish Premiership goals from just 12 league appearances, starting only four of them. He added two goals in the Scottish Cup and one in the Europa League to reach his eight-goal total. The Motherwell penalty with the title hanging in the balance and Hearts needing only a draw to become champions for the first time since 1960 is the kind of moment that defines legacies in Scottish football, and Iheanacho was the man Celtic turned to. He joined from Sevilla on a free transfer in September 2025, making him one of the more cost-effective acquisitions of the season. Fans wanting to follow his next steps and wager on Celtic’s summer recruitment can use the Bet9ja’s free bet offer ahead of the transfer window opening.
The broader context matters too. Celtic needed a win on the final day against Hearts, who had led the Premiership standings for around 250 days and arrived at Celtic Park knowing a draw was enough to claim the title. Martin O’Neill introduced Iheanacho at half-time with the score at 1-1, and the Nigerian added physicality and urgency that unsettled Hearts in the second half. Daizen Maeda’s 87th-minute goal, confirmed by VAR after initially being flagged offside, put Celtic ahead, before Callum Osmand sealed it in stoppage time. It was Celtic’s 56th Scottish league title — their fifth in a row — and Iheanacho was part of it in a way that is hard to simply dismiss.
Why Petrov’s Concern Has Merit
Petrov’s criticism is not about ingratitude. It is about planning. Celtic are a club that competes on multiple fronts every season — the Premiership, both domestic cups, and the Europa League group stages at minimum. A striker who starts four league games in a campaign and contributes primarily from the bench is a useful rotation asset, but not the profile of a consistent number nine for a club that needs to win week after week. The Scottish Premiership’s top scorer this season was Tawanda Maswanhise with 17 goals; Celtic’s attacking ambition, with the resources at their disposal, should be aiming for someone capable of that kind of volume. New Bet9ja users tracking Celtic’s summer activity can use the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG bonus code before the window opens.
Iheanacho’s own career trajectory also adds nuance. At Leicester City, he was capable of prolific runs but was always at his best when used in the right system alongside the right support. His 12 Premier League goals in the 2020/21 season under Brendan Rodgers — ironically now at Celtic as a director — showed what he can produce in a defined starting role. At Celtic, that role has not been his. Whether that is by design or circumstance is a debate worth having, but Petrov is essentially arguing that Celtic need to invest in someone who removes the debate entirely.
What Comes Next for Iheanacho and Nigeria
At 29, Iheanacho is not at a stage in his career where another rotation role is necessarily what he is looking for. His Super Eagles future, however, remains active. He made three World Cup qualifying appearances for Nigeria this season and scored once, keeping himself in the conversation for Eric Chelle’s plans heading into the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign. Celtic’s decision on his contract option will arrive soon, and if the club decides not to exercise it, Iheanacho will once again be looking for a new club — this time with a Scottish title on his CV and the memory of that Motherwell penalty to show any potential suitor. Super Eagles fans following both his club future and Nigeria’s summer programme can check the Bet9ja jackpot page for odds ahead of the June friendlies against Poland and Portugal.
📌 Did You Know?
- Kelechi Iheanacho became only the second Nigerian international to win the Scottish Premiership with Celtic. The title-winning moment arrived on the final day of the 2025/26 season in one of the most dramatic conclusions in the history of the Scottish top flight.
- Hearts of Midlothian had led the Scottish Premiership standings for approximately 250 days during the 2025/26 season, needing only a draw on the final day against Celtic at Celtic Park to become Scottish champions for the first time since 1960. They fell 3-1 in one of the most dramatic collapses in recent Scottish football memory.
- Stiliyan Petrov, who made the call for Celtic to move on from Iheanacho, is one of the most celebrated players in Celtic’s modern history. The Bulgarian midfielder made 204 appearances for the club between 1999 and 2006 before moving to Aston Villa, where he captained the side before being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2012. He recovered and is now a prominent pundit and voice in Scottish football.
- Iheanacho’s iconic 99th-minute penalty against Motherwell on May 13, 2026, which Celtic won 3-2, kept the title race open by a single point heading into the final-day decider. VAR awarded the spot-kick for a handball in the closing seconds of stoppage time, and Iheanacho kept his composure to convert it.
- Celtic’s 2025/26 title was the club’s 56th Scottish league championship in their history, moving them one ahead of Rangers in the all-time standings for the first time. It was also their fifth consecutive Premiership title and their 14th in the last 15 seasons.
- Martin O’Neill, who managed Celtic during Iheanacho’s title-winning season, had previously guided the club to three Scottish Premiership titles between 2001 and 2003 during his first stint in charge. He returned on an interim basis this season two decades after leaving Paradise, making his own return one of the story lines of the Scottish football year.
- Iheanacho’s best individual Premier League campaign came in 2020/21 at Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers, when he scored 12 goals in the league and finished the season with a total of 17 club goals across all competitions. That output established him as one of the more underrated strikers in English football during that period.
