2016-17 Persian Gulf League top 20 players to watch

Persianfootball.com – TEHRAN, Like every year, we are presenting you the top 20 prospects in the Iranian league you should keep an eye on. So browse the list and see if your top choices are in there.

#20 – Hossein Saki
Team: Sanat Naft
Age: 19
Position: Left Winger/Left Back
– There were not many bright points to Esteghlal Ahvaz’s 2015-16 PGL campaign, however, the emergence of the u20 Iran international left back definitely gave the Ahvaz fans something to cheer about. After transferring to newly promoted Sanat Naft approximately a month ago, the speedy young left footed defender will give the Abadan based outfit some pace and quickness on the left side. Sanat looked to be a team that likes to play with a lot of energy, making Saki a great addition, look out for this up and coming young gun.

#19 – Ali Shojaei
Team: Saipa
Age: 19
Position: Fullback/Winger
– The young winger did not see much first team action throughout the 2015-16 PGL campaign but there is a good chance that will change this upcoming season in a team full of young prospects at Saipa. Ali has performed well for the u19 Iran squad as of late with 13 goals in 20 matches – something definitely that Hossein Faraki will have to consider when his team is in need of a boost. Cup matches and 10-15 league appearances should be attainable, if he can show some of the flair and fines he has shown in the u19 side, Faraki will have to give him some chances.

#18 – Ahmad Abdollahzadeh
Team: Foolad Khuzestan
Age: 23
Position: Attacking Midfielder
– At Foolad, Abdollahzadeh looked to be one of the more promising young players several years back and was even invited to multiple Team Meli camps by head coach Carlos Queiroz. Now returning to Foolad from a season-long loan to Tractor Sazi (due to conscription) cut short due to injury, the young midfielder will be stepping into a new and bigger role as one of the leaders and more talented players in the Foolad squad. With a respectable supporting cast, Ahmad can show off his technical and high-IQ level of play with some hard work.

#17 – Aghil Kaabi
Team: Esteghlal Khuzestan
Age: 25
Position: Left Back
– Not much was known about Kaabi when he was brought into the Esteghlal Khuzestan first team squad by Abdollah Viesi, one of many low profile Foolad Novin players who many thought might not succeed. Not only did he prove the critics wrong, but he proved to be one of the better fullbacks in the league, playing an integral role in his team’s Cinderella story run to the 2015-16 PGL title. A reliable defender who plays with his head up and is able to get his team’s counter attacks going, Kaabi is in a great situation to impress again and will make a great case for himself to receive a Team Meli call-up if he can prove himself yet again.

#16 – Milad Sarlak
Team: Sepahan
Age: 21
Position: Central Midfield/Defensive Midfielder
– Newly appointed head coach Abdollah Veisi proved to Iranian football fans last year that he is a coach who is able to take young talents and turn them into champions. At Sepahan, Sarlak will be one of the more exciting projects to watch develop under his wing. With the departure of Ali Karimi to Dinamo Zagreb, Sarlak will likely step in and try to fill the void left behind by the also young but more seasoned and experienced Karimi. His great vision and passing abilities will be needed for Sepahan this season – he has shown at the youth ranks of Team Meli that he is capable of just that, now it is up to him to do it for Sepahan.

#15 – Omid Noorafkan
Team: Esteghlal
Age: 19
Position: Central Midfielder
– Dubbed as one of the more promising talents to come through the youth ranks Esteghlal in recent years, Noorafkan, similarly to Sarlak, will be in a great situation to be mentored by one of the better coaches at developing talents in Alireza Mansourian. Opportunities should not be scarce for the U19 international given Esteghlal has a relatively young roster and was able to start in several matches for Esteghlal last season. Versatile, young, technical, and a good eye to find his team mates, Omid can become a great asset for Esteghlal and maybe even Team Meli.

#14 – Hadi Mohammadi
Team: Tractor Sazi
Age: 25
Position: Center Back
– At Zob Ahan, Mohammadi, the former U20 international center back managed to beat out other talented players in his position by performing on a game-to-game basis for the Greens of Esfahan. Toughness and reliability are two things any manager will want in a center back, which is exactly what made Yahya Golmohammadi so fond of him. He will be stepping into a similar role in Tractor Sazi, replacing the experienced Shoja Khalilzadeh in the heart of the defense. It looks like this could be another successful season for Mohammadi where he can play with a good group on a consistent basis and for one of Iran’s bigger clubs.

#13 – Reza Karamolchaab
Team: Paykan
Age: 19
Position: Attacking Midfielder
– The former Naft Masjedsoleyman midfielder raised some eyebrows when he scored his first ever PGL goal at the age of 17. Reza is returning to Iran from a disappointing spell in Portugal with Mafra where he was unable to play due to ITC related issues. In an era with lots of talents in Iran, few are as technically gifted and have the eye for goal that he does. Newly promoted Paykan will likely exploit having a talent like him on his roster and can prove to be one of the better young midfielders if he can replicate his Iran U17 and U19 performances at Paykan.

#12 – Meysam Doraghi
Team: Esteghlal Khuzestan
Age: 26
Position: Defensive Midfield/Central Midfield
– Reffered to by Abdollah Veisi as a “bulldozer” following Esteghlal Khuzestan’s PGL title, Doraghi showed he was one of the toughest and most intimidating midfielders that every PGL opposition would hate to go against. Doraghi reads the game in front of him very well which led him to have a lot of success defensively – disrupting counter attacks and making key interceptions. You could just say he is one of those hustlers that every football coach loves to have with a seemingly everlasting engine, a Team Meli call up would not be a surprise if he can perform as well as he did last season.

#11 – Masoud Hassanzadeh
Team: Saipa
Age: 25
Position: Striker
– After a successful two seasons with Zob Ahan, Hassanzadeh will look to bring some of the glory and goals that earned him a Team Meli call up to a team who has been in search of a stand out striker since the departure of Karim Ansarifard back in 2012. Many Iranian football fans are familiar with the forward who scored several clutch goals for Zob Ahan last season. A decent finisher and a physically strong body up front, Hassanzadeh can be a big part of a team with a lot of potential and raw talent – an interesting challenge for him.

#10 – Hossein Zamehran
Team: Padideh Mashad
Age: 24
Position: Winger/Striker
– In a team that was battling relegation for the majority of the 2015-16 PGL campaign, it was not hard for a talent like Zamehran to stand out and show some potential. The quick and technically gifted forward was Siah Jamegan’s (Now known as FC Mashad) best player last season, scoring important goals and also helping his team mates do the same. Not afraid to shoot from outside the box and also not afraid to take anyone on, Zamehran poses as a major threat to any defense. With a slight upgrade to Paidideh, that might be enough to help him repeat some of his impressive performances this season.

#9 – Agil Etemadi
Team: Sanat Naft
Age: 29
Position: Goalkeeper
– Before anyone wonders why he might be in this list or why he may be this high in the list, consider this: at the age of 29 (not as old as the number my suggest for a goalkeeper) Etemadi is just starting to show is real potential after two successful seasons with Dutch Jupiler League side Almere City and was linked with a move to his former club, Heerenveen. Who remembers the Rahman Ahmadi who was heavily criticized for weak performances at Persepolis who shortly after went on to be one of the best, if not THE best in the league for Sepahan AND Team Meli? The comparison here is that late bloomers sometimes can turn out to be important players worth keeping an eye on. Etemadi will bring great European pedigree and possibly claim the #3 keeper spot in Team Meli if he can show the consistency he has shown in Holland.

#8 – Danial Mahini
Team: Esteghlal Khuzestan
Age: 22
Position: Right Back
– Arguably the most impressive piece to Esteghlal Khuzestan’s success story, Mahini was rewarded with a Team Meli call up several weeks ago in a friendly match against Kyrgyzstan. It is always a pleasant sign to see a young competitor be able to show he is able to elevate his game to a higher level when called upon, in other words, it was great to see a young and inexperienced player perform for his country in his first international as good as he did for his club in their championship triumph. While the opposition may not have been an ideal measuring stick, the very fact that he showed such confidence in a shirt that can weigh a ton was impressive enough to start. A energetic fullback who brings athleticism and pace is something that Carlos Queiroz will love – we can expect so see him continue this style of play for Esteghlal Khuzestan again and maybe even in Team Meli.

#7 – Morteza Tabrizi
Team: Zob Ahan
Age: 25
Position: Outside Midfielder/Forward
– With the departures of Hassanzadeh and Rezaie, the Zob Ahan midfielder will have to elevate his game a lot in order to compensate for these loses in the offensive line. It is a challenge that he is more than capable of conquering – a physically strong midfielder always looking to go forward and create havoc for the opposition is something Zob Ahan fans know they can expect to get out of him. Morteza’s versatility and aggression up front could be the difference maker for Zob Ahan in PGL and Asian Champions League competitions, he has the experience and now is the time for him to elevate his game to the next level with taking on a bigger role.

#6 – Mehrdad Mohammadi
Team: Sepahan
Age: 22
Position: Striker
– One of the top scorers in the 2015-16 PGL campaign with 10 goals for Rah Ahan, Mohammadi made the best decision he possibly could have made by signing with Sepahan. A bigger role in a bigger team with a proven coach and a respectful and patient fan base, Mohammadi has anything a player of his stature could ask for at Sepahan. Competition may not be that heavy at the striker position at Sepahan but Sepaahan fans have nothing to worry about, a guy like Mohammadi who has proven to have a very hard working and professional attitude both on and off the pitch will be very welcomed in Esfahan. A top 3 goal scorer in the PGL this coming season would be a realistic goal for himself.

#5 – Ehsan Pahlevan
Team: Zob Ahan
Age: 22
Position: Winger/Attacking Midfielder
– If Mohammadreza Khalatbari blossomed at a younger age, you would get the equivalent of Ehsan Pahlevan. They may be physically small, but their technical abilities have been unmatched by pretty much every player in Iran. Pahlevan exploited his chances for Zob Ahan last season and proved to be a reliable young talent with the ability to create and dribble through the opposition’s defense. He can play in the center of on the wing and has very quick feet, always looking to go for goal. Similarly to Tabrizi, he will have to face the challenge of filling the void left behind by some of his departed former team mates, something that he too will likely be able to succeed in. Surely he can be considered a favorite to lead the league in assists – it’d be a pretty safe bet at least.

#4 – Ali Alipour
Team: Persepolis
Age: 20
Position: Striker
– Alipour met pretty much most expectations set by Persepolis fans last season and maybe even exceeded them after showing some promise in his first 4 months with the club back in early 2015. Although he was a pretty consistent starter for most of last season, Alipour will see a lot more playing time this season with the departures of Jerry Bengtson and Mehdi Taremi. With more playing time you can expect more goals and will likely be a top 3 to 5 goal scorer in the PGL given he has some of the best midfielders to serve him some through balls in Kamal Kamyabinia and Mohsen Mosalman. He can head the ball, score on a volley, shoot from outside the box, and pull off some acrobatics in the meantime as well – he knows how to and does whatever it takes to find the back of the net.

#3 – Dariush Shojaeian
Team: Gostaresh Foolad Tabriz
Age: 24
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Central Midfielder
– One of the more unique midfielders in the league, Shojaeian proved to be an outstanding talent in the midfield for Gostaresh Foolad and earned himself a couple of Team Meli Call ups over the last few months. Arguably the most technically gifted player in Iran along with Pahlevan, Shojaeian also possesses strong physical attributes making him a very valuable central midfielder for any team. A player he can be compared to would be Mojtaba Jabbari, but much more technically gifted and slightly more athletic. Team Meli fans remember who much Queiroz made use of Jabbari, perhaps Shojaeian may have a similar fate if he continues to impress this season as he did last year.

#2 – Reza Shekari
Team: Zob Ahan
Age: 18
Position: Attacking Midfielder
– After impressing in various youth levels of Team Meli, Shekari was given some playing time for Zob Ahan at the age of 17 by Yahya Golmohammadi. With extremely impressive dribbling skills and creativity, he will more likely than not be consistently featuring in Zob Ahan’s starting XI this season. There probably isn’t more promise or more hype surrounding any player in Iran, but when you watch him weave his way through defenders and find the back of the net it is not hard to understand why. It will be very exciting to see this young, up and coming prospect grow into the footballer that many Iranian fans will be rooting for.

#1 – Mehdi Torabi
Team: Saipa
Age: 21
Position: Outside Midfield/Fullback
– No surprises here, this young star gives versatility and hustle a completely different definition. He can play anywhere on the right or left flank and will guarantee run his absolute hardest for the entire time he is on the pitch. His states may not have been impressive, but his value isn’t measured by any statistic but rather by his hustle and determination on and off the ball. Iran has never seen a footballer as versatile and perhaps even as athletic as young Torabi. His skill set and what he has shown in the league for Saipa and for Team Meli makes him the best player in the league, or at least one of the better players to be fair to others. This year, he can easily be THE best and with the upcoming world cup qualifiers for Team Meli, given his professional work ethic and determination it is a safe bet to assume that Torabi will be the hardest working and most impressive footballer the PGL has to offer.