'Fantastic goal scorer' - Ex-Liverpool striker surprised Leicester fended off transfer interest in Iheanacho

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has expressed his surprise with Leicester City being able to retain the services of Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho after the close of the summer transfer window.

With the Foxes being relegated to the Championship last season and the forward running into the final year of his contract, the chances of the Nigeria international leaving the King Power Stadium were high.

The 27-year-old was linked with a move to  Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Roma who were all said to be interested in his services.

Iheanacho would have been an interesting signing for most mid-table Premier League clubs given that he is a homegrown player having spent the formative years of his career in England at Manchester City.

"Iheanacho is quite comfortable at Leicester, obviously the fans love him," Heskey said to Football League World on behalf of sharemarketcap.com.

"He's a fantastic goal scorer and his goal contributions are generally very good when he starts or when he comes on.

"He either scores or assists, it's just phenomenal.

"I thought it was very interesting that they managed to keep him but great because when you're looking at the players that Leicester have got, there's a lot of Premier League stars."

The Super Eagles forward has started seven games across all competitions this season, under Enzo Maresca and has registered three goals.

It remains to be seen whether Iheanacho will stay beyond this season at the King Power Stadium with no agreement on a contractual extension in sight.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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