English Championship side Watford consider signing Iheanacho from Sevilla to aid promotion

ENGLISH Championship side Watford have made a loan proposal to Spanish La Liga outfit Sevilla to try and sign former Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho during the currently January transfer window in a bid to help their Premier League promotion bid.

Watford are currently lying just outside them play-off places in the English Championship and believe they need a bit more firepower upfront if they are to gain promotion. A former Manchester City academy graduate, much of Iheanacho's career has been built on the early promise he showed there, where goalscoring looked to come naturally to him but of late, he has gone off the boil.

Unfortunately, the past few years have seen his figures take a turn for the worse, with the attacker not netting more than 10 in a season since 2021. However, a move to the Hornets could be just what he needs to reignite his career and if he regains full fitness, he has the potential to become a formidable force against second-tier defences.

Sevilla head coach, Xavier García Pimienta, has confirmed that they have received offers for Iheanacho, 28, although he did not conform it was from Watford. Having failed to score in the Spanish league and question marks about the player’s fitness, it seems that Sevilla are keen for Iheanacho to move on.

This could make the potential signing a risky move for Watford manager Tom Cleverley, as there is uncertainty over how long it will take for Iheanacho to return to full-match fitness. If he can return quickly, then it would be a brilliant addition and could potentially take some of the pressure off striker Vakoun Bayo.

While Bayo's tally of nine goals in 23 games is respectable for this stage of the season, Watford lack significant support behind him, with Daniel Jebbison being the only other viable senior option. Although Cleverley will want a permanent addition, Iheanacho could provide a good stop gap.

During his Leicester career, Iheanacho scored 61 goals and laid on 34 assists in 232 games and Watford would likely be thrilled with such a level of contribution, should he be able to replicate it at Vicarage Road. However, they must carefully assess this deal before pursuing it as an injured or unfit Iheanacho would be of no use to them and could take up a significant portion of their wages.