20 Iranian PGL players to watch – Part 1
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Loading...Persianfootball.com – TEHRAN, Iran’s Persian Gulf League 2015/16 will kick off in a week. Enough reason for Persianfootball.com community member Dara Zarandi to introduce you to the 20 hottest prospects and comebackers in a series of three articles.
#20 – Mohammad Daneshgar
Age: 22
Position: Central Defender/Defensive Midfielder
Club: Naft Tehran
Daneshgar was one of Naft Tehran’s several young signings this summer brought in by head coach Alireza Mansourian to replace the loss of Amin Hajmohammadi and Leonardo Padovani. Dubbed as one of the better central defenders/midfielders in last year’s Azadegan season with Fajr Sepasi, Daneshgar has a perfect set up to take his game to the next level by having experienced players like Seyyed Jalal Hosseini, Carlos Santos, and Alireza Ezzati to learn a thing or two from. He is able to play both as a central defender as well as a defensive midfielder. It is no secret that one of the key attributes Team Meli head coach Carlos Queiroz looks for in his players is versatility (Heydari, Pouraliganji, and Montazeri all being proof of that). Additionally, when looking at how well young players have developed under Mansourian during his tenure with Iran’s Olympic team and last season with Naft, the likelihood of Daneshgar being another one of Mansourian’s great developments is relatively high. With experience at Iran’s U17, U20, and U23 national teams, Daneshgar, it should be no surprise if Carlos Queiroz decides to give the youngster a shot with the senior squad in the near future.
Age: 22
Position: Central Defender/Defensive Midfielder
Club: Naft Tehran
Daneshgar was one of Naft Tehran’s several young signings this summer brought in by head coach Alireza Mansourian to replace the loss of Amin Hajmohammadi and Leonardo Padovani. Dubbed as one of the better central defenders/midfielders in last year’s Azadegan season with Fajr Sepasi, Daneshgar has a perfect set up to take his game to the next level by having experienced players like Seyyed Jalal Hosseini, Carlos Santos, and Alireza Ezzati to learn a thing or two from. He is able to play both as a central defender as well as a defensive midfielder. It is no secret that one of the key attributes Team Meli head coach Carlos Queiroz looks for in his players is versatility (Heydari, Pouraliganji, and Montazeri all being proof of that). Additionally, when looking at how well young players have developed under Mansourian during his tenure with Iran’s Olympic team and last season with Naft, the likelihood of Daneshgar being another one of Mansourian’s great developments is relatively high. With experience at Iran’s U17, U20, and U23 national teams, Daneshgar, it should be no surprise if Carlos Queiroz decides to give the youngster a shot with the senior squad in the near future.
#19 – Arash Afshin
Age: 26
Position: Winger/Striker
Club: Malavan
Leading up to the 2011 Asian Cup, Arash’s career couldn’t have looked more promising. He was one of few young players former Team Meli boss Afshin Ghotbi called up for the tournament in Qatar and managed to put on an impressive performance by scoring a goal against UAE in Iran’s final group stage match. Following the tournament, Arash went on to finish out a successful season for Foolad Khuzestan by netting 11 goals in a little over 20 league matches and was included in newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz’s first few Team Meli rosters. Since then, Arash’s career has been a constant struggle of battling injury after injury and military service issues. After being loaned out to Malavan several weeks ago, Arash now has a great opportunity to bounce back after being healthy for several months now – training and getting back into shape with a talented new group in Anzali who are lead by the most successful head coach the Persian Gulf League history, Amir Ghalenoie. At just 26 years old, it is important that one doesn’t forget this guy proved to be the most skilled and promising player of his generation prior to encountering an awful series of misfortune and bad luck. He certainly has his work cut out for him as he has a lot to prove, but with a fresh start around a talented group and an experienced coach, Arash could easily return his glory days with some hard work and effort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1QpiMH6DdU
#18 – Ali Alipour
Age: 19
Position: Striker
Club: Persepolis
In a league where opportunity for young and talented teenagers is scarce, Ali Alipour managed to raise a few eyebrows by scoring in consecutive matches for Rah Ahan in a time where the club was battling relegation and desperate to scrap for just a single point towards the end of the 2013-14 PGL season. Clearly the youngster was not phased by such pressure and proved it again the following season when he was bought by Persepolis by scoring the game winner in his first ever Tehran Derby. We have seen several youngsters crack under pressure, which isn’t a rarity or unusual by any means when brought onto a big stage. That being said, whenever a young kid, especially a teen, is able to play as well as he has in his short time in the league, one cannot put a ceiling on such a player’s potential. Constantly making great runs up front, finding the back of the net with either foot and with his head, Alipour is a handful for defenders to deal with to say the least. The energy and top poise we see him is something that could certainly warrant a call up if he continues his streak.
#18 – Ali Alipour
Age: 19
Position: Striker
Club: Persepolis
In a league where opportunity for young and talented teenagers is scarce, Ali Alipour managed to raise a few eyebrows by scoring in consecutive matches for Rah Ahan in a time where the club was battling relegation and desperate to scrap for just a single point towards the end of the 2013-14 PGL season. Clearly the youngster was not phased by such pressure and proved it again the following season when he was bought by Persepolis by scoring the game winner in his first ever Tehran Derby. We have seen several youngsters crack under pressure, which isn’t a rarity or unusual by any means when brought onto a big stage. That being said, whenever a young kid, especially a teen, is able to play as well as he has in his short time in the league, one cannot put a ceiling on such a player’s potential. Constantly making great runs up front, finding the back of the net with either foot and with his head, Alipour is a handful for defenders to deal with to say the least. The energy and top poise we see him is something that could certainly warrant a call up if he continues his streak.
#17 – Iman Sadeghi
Age: 23
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Malavan
There weren’t many bright parts to Malavan’s first half of last season, but if there was one player on the team who can be credited for never giving up and performing on every single match day, there is no need to look any further than Iman Sadeghi. There is certainly no shortage of competition at the goalkeeper position in Anzali as Malavan have just brought back their former Moldovan international goalkeeper Sergei Pascenco and Hossein Hosseini on loan from Esteghlal. The competition should keep all three keepers on their toes, but when in-form, it will be hard for the likes of Hosseini and Pascenco to keep up with Sadeghi. His reflexes are top notch, his positioning is solid, and he is fearless in between the pipes. Iman has represented Iran at various youth levels, proving there is no doubt that he is one of the better goalkeepers of his generation. With a rejuvenated and stronger squad around him this season, he can make a great case for himself to attract Dan Gaspar and Queiroz’s attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP-FohsuXkU
#16 – Amir Arsalan Motahari
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Club: Naft Tehran
Most PGL followers became familiar with him last season after going on an impressive scoring run in both the league and Asian Champions League with Naft. Scoring some beautiful and clutch goals for his club earned him a call up to Iran’s Olympic team where he was able to continue his scoring run at the U22 Asian Championship held in Tehran. Like Alipour, a very solid finisher and also great off the ball movement, Motahari has a phenomenal eye for goal. In a league where forwards’ scoring numbers have been declining over the last several seasons, its guys like Amir that will have you believing that perhaps that trend will take a u-turn this season. We can reasonably expect to see him somewhere in the top 5 on the goal scoring chart this season.
#16 – Amir Arsalan Motahari
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Club: Naft Tehran
Most PGL followers became familiar with him last season after going on an impressive scoring run in both the league and Asian Champions League with Naft. Scoring some beautiful and clutch goals for his club earned him a call up to Iran’s Olympic team where he was able to continue his scoring run at the U22 Asian Championship held in Tehran. Like Alipour, a very solid finisher and also great off the ball movement, Motahari has a phenomenal eye for goal. In a league where forwards’ scoring numbers have been declining over the last several seasons, its guys like Amir that will have you believing that perhaps that trend will take a u-turn this season. We can reasonably expect to see him somewhere in the top 5 on the goal scoring chart this season.
#15 – Ali Karimi
Age: 21
Position: CM/CAM/RM
Club: Sepahan
Not to be confused with the legendary Ali Karimi, this young stud has been performing and making a name for himself when given an opportunity at Sepahan. Ali worked his way up the youth ranks of Sepahan and caught the attention of former Sepahan manager Zlatko Kranjcar who brought him into the senior squad in 2012. Since then, Karimi has been in and out of Sepahan’s starting line-up (mostly featuring off the bench). At just 21 years of age, Karimi has been called up to Team Meli under Carlos Queiroz several times and has featured in the youth ranks of Team Meli as well. Karimi’s best attributes are his awareness, touch, and passing abilities. He has proven himself both in Sepahan and in Iran’s Olympic team which is pretty impressive for a 21 year old. If he can manage to elevate his game from last season, there is no reason why he should not become a regular face in Team Meli. Having one of the PGL’s most talented and most experienced midfielders as your mentor in Moharam Navidkia should definitely help mold him into the fine midfielder he can be.
