Tag: Nottingham Forest

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.

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.

Finally…Nottingham Forest signs Ansarifard

Nottingham Forest have signed Iran striker Karim Ansarifard after delays obtaining a work permit.
The 28-year-old Team Melli center forward has signed a one-and-a-half year contract, after finally being granted a work permit to enable him to join the Championship club.

Ansarifard joins as a free agent on a deal until the summer of 2020.

He has been without a club since being released by Olympiacos – the Greek club owned by Forest majority shareholder Evangelos Marinakis – in August.

Ansarifard scored 17 goals in 26 league appearances for Olympiacos last season and featured against Burnley in the Europa League earlier this term.

He has scored 18 goals in 68 international appearances for Iran, including the equaliser against European champions Portugal at the 2018 World Cup.

Nottingham Forest fans have been reacting to the much anticipated signing of Karim Ansarifard.

The former Olympiacos forward arrives at the City Ground on a free transfer following the termination of his contract with the Greek club in August.

He signed terms on a one-and-a-half year contract in Nottingham and will add competition to the current forward line of Nottingham forest in-form Lewis Grabban, Daryl Murphy and Hillal Soudani.

Despite the move only being announced on the day of today’s visit of table-topping Sheffield United the forward is eligible to be included in Aitor Karanka’s squad.
This however will not be his first time taking on English opposition this season as he featured for his former side Olympiacos as they eliminated Burnley in the Europa League.

Ashkan Dejagah to make his debut with Nottingham Forest 

Team Melli Captain and midfield player Ashkan Dejagah has finally signed  with the English side Nottingham Forest.

The Championship side have made six deadline day signings, with Costel Pantilimon, Jack Colback, Adlene Guedioura, , Joe Lolley and Lee Tomlin in addition to Ashkan Dejagah arriving.

Dejagah will be with Forest until the end of the season.

Dejgah remained without club after his contract expired with Wolfsburg last season. Despite interest from several top Iranian clubs, Dejagah consistently refused to play his football in the Iranian league for many reasons including the poor financial discipline of the clubs who are notoriously bad pay masters.

Dejagah’s main concern was lack of form with the World Cup 2018 only months ahead.

Ashkan Dejagah admits the chance of coming back to play in England with Nottingham Forest was one he couldn’t refuse, and he hopes to give his new supporters something to cheer about.

The 31-year-old Iranian agreed a deal on deadline day to spend the remainder of the season at the City Ground, and could be in line to make his debut at former club Fulham on Saturday.

“I am really happy to be here and back in the UK,” said the winger, who has ambitions of playing in the World Cup this summer.

“Nottingham Forest is a big, traditional club and I am happy to be here.”

Dejagah, who was at the City Ground on Tuesday evening to watch Forest lose at home to Preston, revealed the decision was easy once boss Aitor Karanka had made the approach to bring him to Nottingham.

“I played in the Premier League with Fulham and now in the Championship with Forest. I love it and I know how hard English football is but I am looking forward to playing my first game for the club.

“I am a player who likes to attack. I am aggressive on the pitch and always want to win so hopefully I can give the fans something to cheer about.”

 

Gucci to miss Guam match.

Reza Ghoochannejad, Team Melli and Charlton Athletics forward has been put on the injured list by his club after suffering a knee injury during the club match against Nottingham forest in the Championship of English League.

Ghoochannejad who has returned to his English club after  two season of being on loan in the Persian Gulf leagues, has already scored a goal for his club against Dagenham & Redbridge but was injured after he was subbed in at 64th minute against Nottingham Forest.

Charlton website has declared that Ghoochannejad “Gucci” will be out for at least one month, which will put  him out of the Guam match and possibly the next one against India in Mumbai.