Tag: Bayer Leverkusen

Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai is the next destination for Azmoun.

After much speculation and anticipation, it appears that Sardar Azmoun’s next football chapter will unfold in the vibrant city of Dubai, rather than in Sevilla, Spain.

While no official announcements have been made by either the player or the clubs involved, numerous news outlets, including both Iranian and Emirati papers, have cited Fabrizio Romano’s account of Azmoun’s move to Shabab Al-Ahli as a reliable source. According to Romano, the Iranian striker is set to undergo a medical examination in Dubai after arriving there next Monday.

This marks the end of Azmoun’s European adventure. Having enjoyed successful years in Russia, particularly with Zenit St. Petersburg, his career trajectory took a downturn upon joining Bayer Leverkusen, where he struggled to make a significant impact. A subsequent loan spell at AS Roma, under the management of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, failed to rejuvenate his career. Ultimately, Azmoun found himself surplus to requirements at Leverkusen, with coach Alonso deeming him unfit both mentally and physically for the champion team.

Interestingly, Bayer Leverkusen clinched the Bundesliga title last season even in Azmoun’s absence, going undefeated throughout the campaign.

Shabab Al-Ahli: A Destination for Iranian Talent

Shabab Al-Ahli holds a special place in the hearts of Iranian football enthusiasts. Over the years, it has been a preferred destination for Iranian players seeking new challenges. Notable legends such as Hassan Rowshan and Hassan Nazari showcased their best football in the late seventies while donning the Al-Ahli jersey.

In the early 2000s, another Iranian icon, Ali Karimi, graced the Al Ahli ranks, finishing as the league’s top scorer in the 2003-04 season and earning the title of Asian Footballer of the Year in 2004.

More recently, players like Mehdi Ghayedi and Ahmad Noorallahi have represented Shabab Al-Ahli. The club itself emerged from the merger of two Dubai-based clubs, Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab in 2017. Owned by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Shabab Al-Ahli boasts a rich footballing history and continues to be a prominent force in the UAE football scene.

The club’s head coach is the Portuguese Paulo Sousa. The former Benfica, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan player amongst other Europen clubs also managed teams such as QPR , Leicester City and Poland national team.

Sevilla Move Quickly to Replace Youssef En-Nesyri with Sardar Azmoun

The La Liga club Sevilla are swiftly acting to replace Youssef En-Nesyri, who is set to transfer to Fenerbahçe.
The club’s sporting management is working on securing a loan deal for Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen. Azmoun, who has been sidelined by Leverkusen’s coach Xabi Alonso since the start of pre-season, has accepted Sevilla’s proposal. The club is now working to finalize the deal as soon as possible. While Azmoun is the favorite, he is not the only option being considered.

Negotiations began weeks ago, but Sevilla’s financial constraints limited their options. En-Nesyri’s departure has provided the necessary funds to advance other operations. Azmoun is expected to join La Liga on loan, following his previous loan spell at Roma last season. The Iranian missed the first day of training due to illness and has since been excluded from Alonso’s plans.

Azmoun is under contract with Leverkusen until 2027. Roma had an option to buy him after his loan spell last season but did not exercise it. He played 29 games, mostly as a substitute, and scored three goals. At 29 years old and 1.86 meters tall, Azmoun has extensive experience in Europe, with over 350 appearances across Russia, Italy, and Germany. He is a legend in Iran and at Zenit St. Petersburg, where he won seven titles, scored 85 goals, and provided 38 assists in three years. Although his recent statistics do not match those of En-Nesyri, Azmoun’s playing style fits well with Garcia Pimienta’s tactics.

Sardar Azmoun left out of Bayer Leverkusen squad after returning from Roma loan

Sardar Azmoun has been reportedly excluded from Bayer Leverkusen’s squad. Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has withdrawn Azmoun from first-team training. The reason is that the Iranian, who spent last season on loan at Roma, turned up late for training preparations for the new season and was in poor physical condition.

Having returned from his loan to Roma, in fact, the Iranian striker’s new adventure in Leverkusen did not start in the best of ways.

According to Bild, the former Giallorossi player missed a training session, justifying his absence only after the end of the session.

This angered Xabi Alonso, who immediately decided to take him out of the squad. In the next few days, therefore, Azmoun will train individually.

In an interview, Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen sporting director, commented on the incident: “We need to clarify what happened. It’s not enough to do performance analysis, you also need to train. Yesterday it was there, today it wasn’t. We’ll see in the next few days.”

Azmoun’s late report to the training camp of Bayer Leverkusen was taken without prior permission of the club. The Team Melli forward is already on a shakey ground with Xabi Alonso who does not see the Iranian fitting into his squad.

The player has been linked with Sevilla, who seem more interested in a loan move. In German media, there is also talk of interest from teams in Qatar and Saudi Arabia Azmoun joined Leverkusen in 2022 from Zenit St. Petersburg for 2.5 million euros.

The high asking price for Azmoun by Leverkusen deters many clubs from taking him on board including Fenerbahce and Sevilla.

The only chance of Azmoun making the squad and gaining the confidence of Alonso is by doubling his effort in training, or else he will stay a bench warmer or make a cameo appearance with the defending champions of the Bundesliga.

Sardar Azmoun’s Future: Roma and Bayer Leverkusen Clash

Sardar Azmoun, Team Melli striker, made a significant move at the beginning of the season by leaving Bayer Leverkusen on a one-season loan contract to continue his football journey in Italy’s Serie A.

Roma secured a one-season contract with Sardar Azmoun, but the situation is far from settled. The Iranian player’s fate hinges on whether the permanent purchase clause will be activated by Roma. If not, he will return to Bayer Leverkusen. Recent meetings between the clubs’ managers have shed light on the financial aspects of this transfer. However, due to Bayer Leverkusen’s high asking price (12.5 million euros) for Azmoun’s departure, Roma’s leadership hesitates to commit to a permanent deal. According to the Italian website “ilromanista,” Sardar Azmoun is likely to part ways with Roma at the end of the season.

Europa League Showdown

The drama continues on the field as Roma and Bayer Leverkusen prepare for the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals. The match is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 9th, at the Bay Arena. In the first leg, held at the “Olympic” Stadium, Bayer Leverkusen secured a convincing 2-0 victory over their hosts.

Roma’s Challenges and Ambitions

Despite the setback in the first leg, Roma remains determined. Manager Daniele Del Rossi’s focus is unwavering as the team aims to overturn the result in Germany. Remy, one of Roma’s key players, regrets missed opportunities from the previous match against Bayer Leverkusen.

As the season unfolds, Roma faces uncertainties regarding their European Champions League qualification. Their performance in Serie A will ultimately determine their fate. Will they secure a spot in the prestigious tournament, or will they face disappointment? Only time will reveal the answer.

As far as Azmoun is concerned, it seems much better for him to return to Germany as a title holder of the Bundesliga while assured of playing in the UEFA Champions League. While his sterling performances at Zenit St. Petersburg and prolific scoring were not repeated with Leverkusen, he was still considered a main player until his long-term layoff due to injury losing his starting place and eventual loan to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

SARDAR AZMOUN DESCRIBES HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS AS ROMA’S LATEST SIGNING: “I WANT TO WIN.”

Team Melli cnter forward Sardar Azmoun is officially a new AS Roma player.

The 28-year-old – who joined the club on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with a buy option at the end of the season – gave his first interview to Roma TV after signing his new contract.

During the interview, Azmoun described the process leading to his arrival in the Italian capital and the opportunity of working with Jose Mourinho.

“I am very happy, because I am in one of the most important clubs in the world and there are no words to describe my emotions but I am very, very happy to be here.”

“I am aware that I have arrived in one of the best clubs in Europe. Once I heard that Roma were interested in me I couldn’t sleep at night. I couldn’t wait to join the team. I think there is nothing more beautiful for a player.”

“Roma have excellent players, among the best in the world, in every position. When we met in the Europa League, they played aggressively the way I liked it. I like the team, I like how they play. They are very good.”

“For me, Mourinho is the best coach in the world, I can’t wait to work with him, I will definitely learn many things and we will give everything for the team.”

“Obviously we want to win some trophies this year, my goal and dream is to do it with Roma. It has a huge fan base, among the best in Europe. An excellent staff, and an excellent squad. I want to win here.”

The story behind the Special One’s interest – Mourinho finally welcomes Azmoun at Roma

Azmoun is set to join the Giallorossi from Bayer Leverkusen. He’s been a long-time target for Mourinho who had already tried to sign the 28-year-old in 2021, during his first season at the Stadio Olimpico.

Mourinho and Roma’s interest was so evident that Azmoun’s at-the-time club Zenit jokingly warned the Special One off their striker. The Iran international eventually joined Bayer Leverkusen the following summer.

Given Zenit’s reluctance to sell Azmun in 2021, Roma eventually signed Shomurodov from Genoa but the Uzbekistan forward didn’t live up to expectations at the Stadio Olimpico scoring just six goals in 48 games and joining Spezia and Cagliari on loan.

Mou and Azmoun crossed paths this past May during a Europa League semifinal between Roma and Bayer Leverkusen when the Special One hugged the striker before his introduction from the bench in the second half.

Roma needed a new center forward this summer following Tammy Abraham’s knee injury in the last Serie A game of 2022-23. At the moment, Andrea Belotti, scorer of a brace in the first league game of 2023-24, is the only center forward available for Mourinho.

Azmoun has arrived in Rome to undergo his medical tests, and his transfer is expected to be made official soon.

The Iranian forward will join the Capital giants on an initial loan with an option to buy for €13 million.

The Giallorossi are looking to add another centre-forward to their ranks before the end of the transfer window, with Lukaku’s name cropping up in recent times.

Jose Mourinho, who has managed Lukaku at both Chelsea and Manchester United, has indicated that the Belgium international could join alongside Sardar Azmoun.

When asked about Roma’s move for Lukaku, Mourinho said on Friday: “I struggle to talk about Azmoun, let alone talk about Lukaku who is still a Chelsea player.”

AZMOUN LAND IN ROME AHEAD OF AS ROMA SWITCH

Sardar Azmoun is set to join Roma from Bayer Leverkusen.

The capital club has finalized a deal for the Iran international who is expected to join the Giallorossi on loan from Leverkusen after two underwhelming seasons in the Bundesliga.

According to Filippo Biafora of Il Tempo, Azmoun has already boarded a flight to Rome and landed in Ciampino airport at 20h00 local time.

The 28-year-old striker will undergo his medical with Roma tomorrow morning (Friday) before signing his contract with the Italian side.

Roma will have a buy option on Azmoun which will amount to around €13 million.

Roma’s transfer market escapades this season can be best described as a total slog. While certain moves happened in a flash, Roma’s hunt for a second striker to complement Andrea Belotti has hit snag after snag, and when Gian Piero Gasperini reportedly blocked Duvan Zapata’s move to Roma, it seemed like Roma might never get their striker.

Well, the hunt for a new striker is over.

Completely out of the blue, Serie A journalists started reporting this morning that instead of continuing to push for Duvan Zapata, Tiago Pinto decided to go in a different direction: signing Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen and fulfilling one of José Mourinho’s original requests when he signed with Roma back in 2021.

Of course, back in 2021, Roma was unable to sign Azmoun and instead went to Eldor Shomurodov, while after his near-move to Roma, Azmoun continued with Zenit for one more season before moving to Leverkusen in the summer of 2022. Now, with both Roma and Azmoun unsatisfied with their current situations, it looks as if the Iranian Messi will truly be wearing a Roma kit.

Azmoun comes to Roma on an inexpensive loan with an option deal (what else), with that option valued at somewhere between €10 and €12 million. As opposed to the rumored Zapata deal, which Atalanta reportedly was finally going to accept this morning until Pinto decided to sign Azmoun, bringing in Azmoun on an inexpensive loan with an option likely leaves the door open for the Giallorossi to push hard for a January signing of Marcos Leonardo. A loan signing also makes Roma’s depth chart at striker seem slightly more manageable if Marcos Leonardo is signed, Belotti rediscovers his form, and Tammy Abraham returns from injury.

There are some hitches that prevent this move from being a perfect transfer, despite Roma seeming to beat out AC Milan for the striker’s signature. First is the simple matter that Azmoun is reportedly injured in the short term, with a reported return date of early September. That injury might make him feel right at home with Roma, but it doesn’t solve the immediate problems the Giallorossi are facing in terms of striker depth.

Perhaps more concerning is that Azmoun will undoubtedly be called up by the Iranian National Team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which takes place between January 12 and February 10 of 2024. Is it really worthwhile to bring in a striker on loan who’s unavailable right now and is almost guaranteed to be unavailable for an entire month later in the season?

This rumor seems to becoming reality incredibly fast, so expect more analysis on the Sardar Azmoun front once he’s landed in Rome. Keep an eye out on the Marcos Leonardo transfer saga as well, as reports indicate that Manchester United might be trying to swoop in on Roma’s pre-agreement with Santos. So that’s fun.

Sardar Azmoun linked to Milan move.

Sardar Azmoun is the latest striker to be linked with a move to AC Milan but as per Italian media, the interest is not that concrete. In fact, the Rossoneri remain focused on Chelsea’s Armando Broja.

Lorenzo Colombo is expected to join Monza on a season-long loan and therefore, Milan are set to bring in a striker before the window closes. Broja is their primary target, per Italian media, but Azmoun has also been linked with the club.

AC Milan are looking for a striker on the market and they have been linked with several players over the last few weeks. The latest name is Sardar Azmoun, who reportedly already has an agreement with the club.

Milan will send Lorenzo Colombo out on another loan spell for this season (Monza in pole position) and as a result, they are expected to sign a striker before the window closes. The latest player to be linked with the club is Azmoun.

The Iranian international currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen and according to BILD, he has a personal terms agreement with Milan. The latter are thus in talks with the German side over the transfer and it remains to be seen if an agreement can be reached.

Azmoun made 33 appearances for Leverkusen last season, 12 of them from the start, but found the back of the net just four times. At the age of 28, he needs to revive his career and his next destination might be Milan.

Azmoun out injured for two months

Sardar Azmoun, Team Melli and Bayer Leverkusen’s forward have just recently joined his teammates for pre-season training. Azmoun, who had suffered an injury a short while back was immediately tested for physical condition and underwent a medical examination to determine the extent of his old injury.

According to Kicker magazine, Sardar Azmoun claimed that he was injured in the left leg tendon area last week, and thus he will be out of action for 6 to 8 weeks. Kicker announced the definite absence of Azmoun in the first three matches of Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, as well as the team’s first match in the DB Pokal. The striker will definitely not be able to play for a team until the middle of September, and if his treatment goes well according to plan, he will be ready for selection for the match against Bayern Munich on September 24. Azmoun struggle with this injury comes at a time that Team Melli has a full training schedule during FIFA Day in September. Iran will play Bulgaria and an African team, which is yet to be named.

The absence of Sardar Azmoun will be quite disappointing for Amir Ghalenoei who was hoping to test the duo Azmoun and Taremi against tougher opposition starting with Bulgaria in five weeks time.

Hope for Azmoun’s return in the near future

Good news for Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Askickerreports, Sardar Azmoun could return to the squad next week. The striker recently worked on his comeback under the guidance of a private physio in Qatar.

The Iranian suffered a torn muscle fiber in the calf during training about four weeks ago, which is now apparently cured.

The remaining program of Bayer 04 Leverkusen

  • Matchday 13 – Home game against Union Berlin (Sunday, 15:30)
  • Matchday 14 – away game at 1 FC Cologne (9 November, 6:30 pm)
  • Matchday 15 – Home game against VfB Stuttgart (12 November, 15:30)