Tag: Brighton

PSV expresses interest in Jahanbakhsh

EINDHOVEN – After the arrival of Kostas Mitroglou, PSV wants a player for the attack, to solidify its formation in Europe ahead of a long season and, above all, to take on the title battle with Ajax. PSV plays chess on several boards at the same time, the main candidates being the Japanese Ritsu Doan and Iranian Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the man who was the top scorer of the Eredivisie at AZ more than a year ago. The managers of Eindhoven are just waiting for the last week before the transfer deadline to make their move.

The Argentinian Nicolas Ivan Gonzalez of VfB Stuttgart was the number two on the list behind Doan of FC Groningen. PSV had done their preliminary work with his agent, but when he reported back to his club, the answer was clear: Silence. PSV knows from previous experiences with Feyenoord striker Steven Berghuis this transfer summer what that could mean. A transfer fee that the club does not want to pay or a negotiation that will last far too long for comfort, which is a risk the club cannot take now.

Japanese Doan has long been number one, but PSV will not pay the hefty transfer fee demanded by FC Groningen. The club demands an amount towards the fourteen million euros plus a substantial resale percentage. PSV had a maximum of eight million euros in mind plus some extras. That gap is too big, Doan’s business manager is trying to get the northerners to agree on a more reasonable fee.

Jahanbakhsh is the (cheaper) alternative. PSV wants to take the Iranian international on loan for a year from his club Brighton & Hove Albion and hopes to hear soon whether he will be released.

So far the managers of Eindhoven were told that Jahanbakhsh the right-winger transferred from AZ last year for 25 million euros is not available for the loan. Current manager Graham Potter plays in a 5-3-2 system, Jahanbakhsh a wing-back. However, for the third time in a row against Southampton Jahanbakhsh was not in the squad, which could offer an opening in the last week of the transfer window for his transfer. That he hardly played for a year is not a big problem for PSV. Jahanbakhsh was a top player in the Eredivisie, knows what is being asked from him and is above all a different type of attacker than the club has in-house.

Marc von Bommel

For example, PSV has Mohamed Ihattaren and Gaston Pereiro, when he returns in two months from a fracture of the collarbone, have the passers and creative players who could play the role intended for Doan from the right. PSV looks at players who are complementary to each other and offer extra possibilities in the way of playing within the current selection. Jahanbakhsh does not only bring scoring ability, but he could also serve the (incoming) goal-getter Mitroglou (in phases) with his moves.

If coach Mark van Bommel wants to use Doan at ‘ten’, Bergwijn can move to the place where he grew into as an international player (on the flank). Only Doan has played most of his matches in Groningen from the right and he immediately gets a big responsibility at a top club, with a hefty price tag around his neck. Again, one that PSV does not want to comply with. If the situation remains the same and if Jahanbakhsh is kept to his contract with Brighton, PSV will act towards the next candidate in the last days before the deadline.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh status in Brighton in jeopardy.

For the second match in a row, Alireza Jahanbakhsh did not make the 18 man squad for Brighton & Hove Albion match against  West Ham. Jahanbakhsh was left out of the team for the first match of the new Premier League season away to Watford which Brighton won 3-0, and then he was again omitted from the squad for the home game against West Ham which ended in a draw 1-1.

It seems that the Seagulls’ coach Graham Potter has little belief in the ability of the Team Melli winger to produce the goods in the Premier League. After a difficult season last year marred by injury and absence from Brighton team for the AFC Asian Cup, Jahanbakhash failed to sparkle despite his record signing from Alkmaar. The top scorer of the Dutch League failed to score a single goal for Brighton.

Despite his failure to score, the former Brighton coach had a lot of confidence in Jahanbakhsh as’s abilities and skill as he was on the top of Houghton’s pecking order upfront.  However, Houghton was using Jahanbakhash in the role of a wingback rather than a forward. The Iranian had to be available to defend when the team was under attack. That was one of the reasons, but certainly not THE reason, for his lack of scoring. Statistics of last season shows that Jahanbakhsh was not getting much goal scoring opportunity but was used more as a provider on the flanks.

Whatever the case was for last season disappointing performance, Jahanbakhsh’s chances to be part of the Brighton lineup seems to be quite slim and him lasting in the club, to be in doubt. The Transfer window in Europe is still open until 2nd September. One way out of this situation is for Brighton to seek a buyer for Jahanbakhsh. Rumours of the Iranian returning back to the Eredivisie with his former club started a couple of weeks back but it seems to have died down quite quickly.

Jahanbakhsh himself remains hopeful to return back to form to gain the confidence of Graham Potter. With the fine performance of the current squad, the competition for places in the team is quite tough. Jahanbakhsh really needs to work extra hard to convince the boss of his value else his future in Brighton and the premier league is in jeopardy

Saman Ghoddos to English Championship side Brentford

Exclusive: Brentford agree deal to sign international attacker, medical imminent
Date: 6th August 2019 at 7:49pm
Written by: 

EXCLUSIVE by Pete O’Rourke

Brentford has agreed on a deal to sign Amiens attacker Saman Ghoddos, Football Insider understands.

Brentford have lined up a deal for the Iranian international to replace Neal Maupay following his departure to Brighton earlier this week.

A source at the Beeds has told Football Insider that Ghoddos, who played for Iran at the 2018 World Cup and AFC Asian Cup 2019, is now set for talks and a medical at Griffin Park as Brentford look to finalise the move before Thursday’s transfer deadline.


Ghoddos can play in an attacking midfield role or anywhere across the frontline and Brentford have been tracking him for some time.

The Bees’ Championship rivals Fulham and Queens Park Rangers tried to sign Ghoddos before he joined Amiens last summer from Swedish club Ostersunds.


Ghoddos scored four goals and provided four assists in 27 games in his debut season in Ligue 1 last season, while he has 18 caps under his belt for his country.

In other Brentford news, it can be REVEALED that the club are plotting a £3million move to sign a forward from another Championship side.

Krim Ansarifard in the Qatar Star League

The former Nottingham Forest player and Team Melli centre forward, Karim Ansarifard signed a 2-year contract with Al Sailiya Sports Club in Doha.

Al-Sailiya SC is managed by the Tunisian Sami Trabelsi and Ansarifard is the only non-Arab player in the squad which is mainly formed of north African and Sudanese players.

Last season, the club ended the season in a very respectable 3rd position behind champions Al Sadd and runners up Al Duhail. This was one of the best rankings of Al Sailiya in Qatar Star league. Ansarifard, whose contract with English Championship club Nottingham forest has run out, had a few good seasons in Greece before moving to England and the disappointment of Nottingham Forest. In 2017/18 season, the 29 years old Ansarifard played in the Greek League for Olympiakos Piraeus where he scored 17 goals in 26 matches. However, in England, Ansarifard only managed 3 goals in 12 matches without securing a starting place in the line up of coach O’Neil.

Nottingham Forest had to endure a lot before managing to secure the signature of Ansarifard last season after eventually getting his work permit sorted out, but after all that effort the striker was to warm the bench for most of the season!

England has never been a successful playing ground for Iranian internationals and despite the small number of them playing in England, none of the Iranians managed to claim success. Jahanbaksh, the Top Scorer of the Eredivisie, was bought by Brighton for a record fee, but he could not score a single goal in the Premier League or other competitions with his team in a full season. It is to be noted however that Jahanbakhsh only played 19 games for Brighton missing many due to injury and then the AFC Asian Cup 2019 while he was away with Team Melli.

Graham Potter’s appointment as Brighton Coach, an Inspired Move

Brighton and Hove Albion’s decision to replace Chris Hughton with Swansea City manager Graham Potter might seem harsh, and a massive gamble, but dig a bit deeper and it could be one of the shrewdest appointments of the summer.

When Chris Hughton joined Brighton, they were in 21st place in the Championship. He got them to the Premier League, and kept them there for two seasons despite having one of the league’s smallest budgets.

In the final game of this season, Brighton may have got comprehensively beaten by one of the best soccer sides there has ever been, but on the last day of the season 22 years ago, only Robbie Reinelt’s goal in front of the jam-packed, dilapidated away end at Hereford United kept Brighton in the Football League. Brighton have come a long way since then, and while Hughton has only played a small part in that journey, he was the manager who took them to the top flight for the first time in 34 years.

Sacking Chris Hughton seems to many outsiders like a club getting ideas above their station, and no doubt Hughton will have little difficulty finding another job this summer (he’s already linked with the West Bromwich Albion job). But Brighton are on a downward spiral, and only a very brave gambler would have bet on Hughton’s negative brand of soccer keeping them out of the relegation places next season.

Even though Brighton stayed up this year, there was little to cheer about at the Amex Stadium – Brighton only scored 16 goals from open play all season and no side tested the other team’s goalkeeper fewer times than the Seagulls. Hughton also failed to get the most out of big-money signings like Alireza Jahanbakhsh, so there’s little to suggest that backing him in the transfer market will lead to any upturn in performances.

“I expected more from myself.” Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Alireza Jahanbakhsh says he hasn’t shown his best form for Brighton & Hove Albion yet and admitted he expected more from himself in his first season in England.

The Iranian winger joined the Seagulls for a club record fee, reported to be £17m, last summer but failed to register a goal or assist in a campaign which he said had ‘a lot of ups and downs’.

A hamstring injury and the Asian Cup saw Jahanbakhsh miss three months of the season from November to February before he started eight of Albion’s final 11 Premier League matches.

Reflecting on his debut campaign in England, the 25-year-old said: “It was a little bit up and down, to be honest. At the beginning I was trying to get into the team as soon as possible and play games.

“Obviously, as everyone knows, I played a couple of games and then got an unexpected injury. It took me out for a while and then I had the Asian Cup. There were some things which kept me away from playing games.

“The last couple of games I played, made progress and got used to the competition.

“The Premier League is a high quality league and different to what I’m used to. It (the season) wasn’t what I’d planned for and what I was expecting from myself but it’s gone.

“I’ll have a good pre-season hopefully and will have a good season (next year) which I expect from myself and what everyone expects from me.”


Jahanbakhsh admitted his season left him unsatisfied and he said: “It was tough getting used to a new environment and moving to somewhere with a totally different culture and facing new stuff, which I’ve never been challenged with.

“There were a lot of ups and downs but there were a lot of times I enjoyed and played a lot of minutes.

“But it wasn’t something which makes me satisfied, nor the fans and people who expect more from me.

“I know the reason why I’m here and I was expecting more from myself obviously. I wanted to play more, be important for the team statistically but that was something which didn’t happen this season.

“Next season I’m going to work with double energy and with the mindset of what I have from the Premier League right now. Hopefully I’ll bring more quality to the team and show what I can do.”

Jahanbakhsh, who played 24 times in all competitions, feels Brighton fans are still to see the best of him: “Definitely. There’s been some games I’ve really enjoyed playing with my team-mates but my best hasn’t happened yet obviously.

“I expect more of myself and I know I can show more. That’s the reason I’m not really happy with this season.

“It has gone and next season I’m going to do everything to get into the best shape.”

Brighton finished 17th in the Premier League and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals in Jahanbakhsh’s first season with the club.


He said: “For the team it wasn’t that bad a season. The last seven, eight, ten games it’s been a little bit difficult with being down there and stressing about relegation.

“We made it difficult for ourselves because there was a stage of the season where we were 11th, 12th position in the table. We’d been doing a great job and got to the the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

“We lost a few points which made it more difficult in the last couple of games but luckily we are staying in the Premier League.

“We have to plan for next season which we know is going to be even more difficult. We are going to do our best to have good preparation in pre-season and to have a good season.”

Jahanbakhsh now has a rare summer off with no international commitments and he said: “Now is a good time to have some time off, refresh my mind and come back in good shape for pre-season.”

Forest Boss is all praise for Karim Ansarifard

While Nottingham Forest forward Lewis Grabban snaffled up his tenth goal of the season as well as three points for the Reds, as they beat previously table-topping Sheffield United 1-0 at the City Ground and the £6m striker grabbed the spotlight again, Forest boss Aitor Karanka is delighted to have further strengthened his attacking arsenal with the capture of the Team Melli Striker, Karim Ansarifard.

Forest had to be patient while working through significant red tape to complete the signing of the 28-year-old, who had his contract with Olympiacos terminated in August, in order to facilitate his move to the Championship.

“I am really pleased to have signed him. I knew that the day would arrive,” said Karanka, who gave the player his debut as a substitute, deep into injury time. “The day has arrived yesterday, which was really good, given that we need him.

“The delay was to do with the work permit. I don’t know the exact details, but it was only ever a question of getting the right paperwork.”
I am just pleased to have him because, even in the two minutes he had on the pitch, he showed that he is crazy to play for this team.”

Karanka says Ansarifard is fit and ready to go – but says he will need some time to adapt to the Championship.

“He is fully fit and ready to go, but he will need time to settle in, having arrived in this league from another country,” said Karanka. “But he is a professional and he is a winner. I am positive.”
“He scored 17 goals for Olympiacos and he has quality. He is a good finisher.

“To score goals we need to get the ball into the box and you need players to be arriving into the box at the right time.

“We have good players and we are arriving at the right time. We have very good strikers. We have Lewis, we have Daryl (Murphy) and now we have Karim as well.

“Now we have another alternative. He is a good player and another player who is a very good person and a good teammate for the changing room.

“He only played one or two minutes, but the run he made in the last seconds can show you how hungry he is; how much he wants to help the team. “He is a good man and a good player, so I am really pleased with him.”

Karim made the cameo appearance with the minimal of preparation in the 90th minute of the game.

Three team Melli players play in the English leagues. Apart from Karim, Alireza Jahanbakhsh plays for Brighton and Saeid Ezatolahi plays for Reading in the Championship.

Jahanbakhsh turns down Brighton’s offer.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh , has turned down an offer by the English Championship league side, Brighton & Hove Albion according to the player’s agent.Amir Hashemi.

In a short statement to the media , Hashemi confirmed that there was a current offer from the 2nd tier English club , but Jahanbakhsh has turned it down because playing at that level of football will not be complimentary to his progress in European football, acoording to the player’s agent. Hashemi said that Brighton were looking for a quick answer from his client and were not willing to wait a long time, hence the answer was swift from Jahanbakhsh.

The young Team Melli player has won the MVP of the league last season helping his team NEC Nijmegen win the second division title and promotion to Eredvisie with a big margin.  Jahanbakhsh , whose Dutch is remarkably improving wishes to remain in Holland for the next season , unless some lucrative offer comes up.

The 21 years old winger has missed the last two Team Melli matches due to a slight injury.