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That's a strong Northern Irish accent the fella has.Comment
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AJ's first match at Brighton is a club friendly this Saturday at 7am PST: Birmingham City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
Good luck AJ!!! You have already made TM fans proud!Comment
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My guess is yes. After paying a record fee for AJ, Brighton will definitely want to properly introduce him to the team/fansOriginally posted by Hoorad View PostComment
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Tempted to go show some Iranian love but seems unlikely ARJ will feature so in two minds.
http://www.northstandchat.com/showth...gham-tomorrow&Comment
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Alireza's agent interview with Argus
http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/1638...record-breaker
Albion record-breaker Alireza Jahanbakhsh has the X Factor
That is the verdict of his mentor, Amir Hashemi, who brought Jahanbakhsh to Europe from Iran as a teenager and has steered his career for the past five-and-a-half years.
Although officially his agent, Hashemi and wife Honey have become more like a "second family" to Jahanbakhsh.
The £17 million winger's father-of-three entrusted Hashemi with his son's future.
Netherlands-based former Iran international Hashemi, who had a brief spell in England with Plymouth and Torquay in the early 1990's, has plotted Jahanbakhsh's pathway to the top since brokering his move from Damash Gilan in the Iran Pro League to NEC in Holland in 2013.
Hashemi said: "I knew Alireza from playing for the national team under-21s, but I didn't know him personally, what his character and mentality is.
"I was always the player with personality, with character, always wanting to win.
"The football you could see Ali was perfect, a very, very good player.
"He was 17 when he played for the first team in Iran (for Damash Gilan), scored nine goals in his first season.
"It's not just his scoring, he has an X Factor. You can see in some players, they have something you cannot explain.
"I saw him a few times in Iran. I wanted to know if he could succeed. I met his father. I wanted to be sure they were behind Alireza's decision, because he was just 18.
"It was a big change. It was wonderful what I saw, the first impression, the feeling between us was so good. His father shook my hand and told me he would leave it in my hands, think of him as your son.
"That was almost five-and-a-half years ago. When he came to NEC we had him very close to us in an apartment. My son, a goalkeeper and almost the same age, became a good friend. The combination was great.
"People think it is easy to say now, but I knew his potential. We didn't have any other player besides Ali, just my son. We put all of our energies into him, because we believe in him.
"I told him in the first few days I could see him doing something nobody in Iran has done before, but his feet would have to do the talking. We are there to prepare the way for you, take care of the other things.
"The relationship between us is such that he never calls me his agent. He has great parents, a lovely father and mother, a younger brother who is also a very good footballer and an older sister.
"We are his second family and he for us is our second son."
The Argus: Hashemi and Honey accompanied Jahanbakhsh on a private jet from Paris to Biggin Hill Airport in Kent on Tuesday afternoon (above) as the deal to capture last season's 21-goal top scorer in the Dutch top flight with AZ Alkmaar was finalised.
The 24-year-old World Cup wide man's move has provoked great excitement back home in Iran and Hashemi sensed three years ago, when Jahanbakhsh turned down the Seagulls in favour of Alkmaar, that he would eventually end up at the Amex.
"I cannot look at my mobile any more, it's unbelievable, Iran is like a bomb," Hashemi said. "The people have followed him in the last five-and-a-half years. Many people believed he could be a good player.
"He became the best player with NEC in the Juniper League (Championship), he won the prize best player of Dutch football and it was a party in Iran.
"Everybody was curious about his next step. He went to the World Cup with Iran (Brazil 2014), played against Argentina and Messi.
"At the same time NEC were relegated to the Juniper League. Everybody thought Ali wouldn't stay, but he said why not? This is Alireza, he thinks a lot about what he wants to do.
"After that the step to Alkmaar. We had Brighton and a Bundesliga team (interested).
"I came to Brighton first before Ali. I saw the beautiful facilities and the character of the people (at the club). Ali was so impressed.
"He made his decision already to play for Brighton, but the timing wasn't right then.
"He wanted to improve himself, to be a better person, a better player who could provide something more.
"I have never doubted that he would come to Brighton. I had between 12 and 14 different offers for him, from the Bundesliga, Italy, England, Russia, the Netherlands, Ajax and PSV.
"I knew he would choose here, because of the background and because I know him. He discussed it with us and we analysed everything.
"Nobody knows, we came a few times to England to see some matches, to see how they play, how the supporters react to the players, tactics and to decide is this competition good for Ali? You can watch on TV but you have to be at the stadium, see the people.
"Does Ali fit with Brighton the club? Not just football, the warm feeling we received. I cannot say enough about them. They did everything to get Alireza, but he knew already, I knew already."
Hashemi says Jahanbakhsh, who featured in Iran's World Cup group games against Spain, Portugal and Morocco in Russia last month, has matured into a more complete player since Albion's initial interest.
The Argus: "Alireza has changed a lot, not his football, his personality," Hashemi said. "He became the leader of Alkmaar in the changing room, on the field. The manager discussed everything with him.
"It is a very big step for somebody to come to the Premier League. He has a character and capability, he loves everybody. That's from his heart.
"He can bring as a player creativity. You do not know what he is doing if he has the ball, which is not the problem for us or for Ali but for opponents. They had that problem in the Netherlands, they couldn't defend against him. They didn't know what to expect.
"That is what I love about Alireza, I still don't know! That makes him exciting, creative, without doing anything.Comment
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Brighton confirmed Jahanbakhsh will not be part of the squad for today's test match.Comment
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It’s good I didn’t buy a ticket then.Comment
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honey is hottttt...!!!Comment
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Bissouma on the bench. But I guess JB came a few days later.Comment
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Ryan (GK); Bruno (C), Dunk, Duffy, Bernardo; Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March; Gross; Murray.
Subs: Button (GK), White, Balogun, Suttner, Bissouma, Gyokeres, Hemed.Comment
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ARJ seems to have arranged to be absent for AC.
http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/1638...es-for-albion/
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Remember RESPECT BEGETS RESPECT & Zob Ahan Comment
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Wait. Is the wife's name really Honey? Is she a stripper?Originally posted by GolfePersique View Post
Although officially his agent, Hashemi and wife Honey have become more like a "second family" to Jahanbakhsh.Comment
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