Tag: Arsenal

‘Really good player’: Rio Ferdinand raves about ‘ridiculous’ striker Arsenal reportedly want to sign

Rio Ferdinand has raved about FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi on BBC today – a striker Arsenal reportedly wants to sign.

According to CBS Sport, Arsenal could’ve signed Taremi back in January as the striker was offered to the Gunners on a loan deal. Mikel Arteta looked to be in desperate need of attacking reinforcements at the start of this year, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of favor before he made the switch to Barcelona. Arteta’s men were left with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah for the second half of the campaign.

But A Bola – via Sport Witness – claimed last month that Arsenal are still one of the clubs that could be chasing Taremi’s signature in January. The 30-year-old bagged two goals against England today though as his national side Iran were thrashed 6-2 in their opener at the World Cup. And before the game, Ferdinand was full of praise for the Porto man

Ferdinand raves about Taremi

“This guy knows how to score goals. He’s a bit of a hybrid between a nine and a ten,” Ferdinand told BBC Sport.  “He’s happy to come short or run through. He’s a really good player. This is what I mean if they get on the counter and in transition and chances do fall to this guy, we will have to be worried.”

Ferdinand wasn’t wrong in his assessment of the ‘ridiculous’ Taremi and he looked a real bright spark for Iran. Taremi has bagged 13 goals for Porto this season and opened his World Cup account against Southgate’s men earlier today.

The Gunners probably could have done with a player like Taremi during the second half of last season. They missed out on Champions League qualification to their bitter rivals Spurs and lacked real firepower up-front towards the end of the season. But Arsenal fans probably won’t be losing too much sleep over it, especially now they have Gabriel Jesus leading the line at the Emirates.

The Iran striker could still represent a good option for the Gunners though and would provide quality backup for Jesus in north London.

Arsenal ‘interested in Mehdi Taremi transfer’ with Porto willing to sell Iran striker after World Cup as Jesus back-up

ARSENAL are reportedly interested in signing Mehdi Taremi as back-up for Gabriel Jesus.

And a deal could be on in January with Porto willing to sell the striker after the World CupA Bola claims Taremi, 30, has fired his way onto Mikel Arteta’s shortlist with seven goals and six assists in 11 games.

The Iran international is in his third season with Porto. And Taremi, who has a total of 56 strikes for the Portuguese giants, has already been linked with a move to Chelsea.

But it’s Arsenal who are reportedly leading the race this winter.

Sporting director Edu Gaspar usually only targets players under the age of 30.

But he is apparently willing to break his own rule this once in order to sign Taremi for title-chasing Arteta.

The Brazilian has five goals and four assists since his £45million switch from Manchester City.

And Arteta reckons only Taremi would be able to carry the torch in case of a setback in the second half of the campaign.

The striker’s representatives have already told Porto he is considering a change of scenery at the start of 2023. Sergio Conceicao’s side are no strangers to doing business in the winter market, with Luis Diaz joining Liverpool last January. And Porto are open to letting Taremi go for the right price.

But the ace will first strut his stuff for Iran at the World Cup, with their opening match in Group B against none other than Gareth Southgate’s England. Arsenal currently sit top of the table after beating Liverpool 3-2 on Sunday.

Taremi on the move as Arsenal ‘committed’ to winter move for Porto man.

Arsenal are preparing to make a bid for FC Porto and Team Melli striker Mehdi Taremi, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola.

After a season of Mikel Arteta choosing between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Eddie Nketiah, the Spaniard now has Gabriel Jesus leading the line.

The Brazilian’s Gunners career has got off to a tremendous start, while Nketiah plays second fiddle in the Premier League. Nketiah is expected to get the nod in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, however.

The young Englishman was actually expected to depart Arsenal in the summer with his contract expiring, but he had a change of heart and decided to commit his future to his boyhood club. He was given the famous No. 14 shirt and always knew that Arteta was on the search for a new striker who would likely be his first choice.

 Nketiah doesn’t see it as him versus Jesus and knows there will be a lot of “opportunities” to play this season. “He’s (Jesus) a great player,” Nketiah said. “He’s good to play alongside and watch. He’s had a really good start and he’s a great guy off the pitch so I’m really happy for him.

You would not expect Arteta to delve into the transfer market in January to sign a new striker, barring an injury crisis.

However, it has been reported that the Gunners are keen on Porto’s Mehdi Taremi.

The Iranian has started 2022/23 very well, netting seven and assisting a further six in 11 appearances across all competitions. He is yet to get off the mark in the Champions League this term after being sent off against Atletico Madrid on matchday one.

The 30-year-old did assist both of his side’s goals against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night, though. It is according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness) that Arsenal are ‘committed’ to signing Taremi in the January transfer window. It is said that English clubs were keen on signing the experienced striker in the summer.

Taremi’s representatives are keen for their client to move on after he plays in the World Cup for Iran. Porto are ‘willing to negotiate and are hoping for a similar transaction to last year when they sold Luis Diaz to Liverpool.

Chelsea are also given a mention by the newspaper.

Team Melli striker Mehdi Taremi offered to Arsenal

According to CBS sports website, A dramatic deadline day looks set to end with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving Arsenal with Barcelona has reached an agreement to sign the former Gunners’ club captain on a free transfer. Arsenal who looks like having a crisis in the forward line, with their two main strikers being out of contract in the summer has already failed to attract the Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina after Juventus secured his services for a €70m transfer fee

The Gunners have also been offered several players on loan this month, including Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic and Team Melli striker Mehdi Taremi of Porto, and have been working to upgrade Arteta’s strikeforce before the transfer window closes Monday night. Meanwhile, Arsenal have made one signing, securing the services of Colorado Rapids center back Auston Trusty.

Porto, meanwhile, have lost three of their key players in recent weeks, namely Jose Corona, Sergio Oliveira, and Luis Diaz, and it is unlikely that the Porto boss will take another move in the transfer window. Mehdi Taremi who scored the winning goal against Iraq on Thursday to qualify for the World Cup 2022,  is currently in the camp of Team Melli and will face the UAE tomorrow.

It will be suicidal for Porto to part with Taremi at this stage, especially since they are challenging for the League titke.

Arsenal interested in highly rated forward Azmoun as Lacazette replacement

Arsenal are eyeing Zenit St Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun.

Onze Mundial says the Gunners have identified Zenit St Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun as a potential Alexandre Lacazette replacement.

Lacazette is wanted by a host of top European clubs, including LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid. The 30-year-old’s contract expires next June, meaning a pre-contract can be arranged from January.

And Zenit’s Azmoun – dubbed the ‘Iranian Lionel Messi’ – is on the Gunners’ list to replace the Frenchman.

They are not the first Premier League side to be linked with his services. Azmoun revealed last month that he had rejected Tottenham during the summer.

On a potential transfer, he said: “I never said that I was leaving Zenit. The media wrote that I was undergoing a medical examination and agreed on everything with a certain team. I have a contract, even if I wanted to leave, the club will not allow it. It was the media that sent me to another team.”

“I had offers from Lyon, Roma, Bayer [Leverkusen], and Tottenham. But all the proposals were rejected, this year I will not move anywhere.”

The Iranian forward impressively scored 19 goals in 29 appearances for the Russian club last season. Currently, on duty with his national team playing in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.