Ashkan Dejagah , Team Melli’s player with most impressive resume , is on the crossroad and looking for a team.

Ashkan, who was born in Tehran but immigrated to and grew up in Germany , started his professional career with Hertha Berlin before transferring to VfL Wolfsburg  then Fulham FC in England in July 2012 before eventually leaving to Qatar two seasons ago for a sum estimated to be over 5 million Euros.

The winger, who played for Iran in the World Cup 2014, made 49 appearances for Fulham and scored six goals during a two-year spell at Craven Cottage. He played under the German coach Felix Magath in his final term before moving to the Persian Gulf.

That move was generally met with disappointment and much criticism from both the fans and the media. “Leaving one of the best leagues in the world and heading to Qatar , is not exactly the sign of an aspiring professional player ” said one of the critics.

Dejagah settled in well  initially in Al Arabi and Qatar Professional league, but soon found that the expectations from his paymasters are exceedingly unattainable. The media in Qatar is well-known for its bandwagon attitude of putting the blames and poor standard of the Qatari teams on shoulders of the foreign professional players. Dejagah was no different with Al Arabi.

Ashkan Dejagah lost his starting place this season with Al Arabi and that does not augur well for himself and Team Melli.  Carlos Queiroz cannot afford to have his most reliable generals and one of the key players in Team Melli warming the bench in a Qatari league out of all places. It is been rumored that the Head coach of Team Melli has advised Dejagah to find another club else he might lose his place in Team Melli starting line up.

Ashkan Dejagah has requested to be released from his contract with Al Arabi, but his 3 years contract and the big money that the Qataris have paid for him is an issue. Al Arabi wants to recover some of the investment and will not release Dejagah unless a lucrative deal comes through. The 30-year-old midfielder is reluctant to pay back any money for his early release. The status quo means Dejagah will still be on Al Arabi’s register but mostly used as a reserve.

As for the options that Ashkan has, most definitely it will not be playing in the Persian Gulf League of Iran. The chaotic, unprofessional and poor financial discipline of the Iranian clubs is more that Dejagah can endure and accept in his professional career. He has privately indicated that playing in the Iranian league is out of question not just because of the pathetic league system but also the lifestyle in Iran which is not what the Berliner can comfortably tolerate.