Tag: Zenit St. Petersburg

06/07/2020

Azmoun leads Zenit to the Russian League title.

Zenit St. Petersburg has won the Russian Premier League title with four games to spare in a season extended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Zenit beat third-place FC Krasnodar 4-2 on Sunday to move 13 points clear of Lokomotiv Moscow, which is second and can win a maximum of 12 more points.

Zenit retained the title it won last year and now matches CSKA Moscow with six overall. Only Spartak Moscow has won more Russian titles with 10.

Team Melli forward Sardar Azmoun gave Zenit the lead with a fifth-minute goal before Daniil Utkin leveled for Krasnodar. A penalty by league top scorer Artyom Dzyuba restored Zenit’s lead but Utkin answered again just after the break for 2-2.

Azmoun soon scored Zenit’s third goal of the game and Alexei Sutormin extended the lead to secure the win.

Zenit has won all four of its games since the Russian league resumed last month amid the coronavirus pandemic. The season was suspended in mid-March and resumed June with only a limited number of spectators allowed in the stadiums.

Azmoun has scored 13 goals this season for the champions 12 of them in the league. He is currently ranked third in the top scorers’ list which is lead by his teammate Artem Dzyuba with 21 goals.

06/06/2020

Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta seeks summer transfer move for Sardar Azmoun

Mikel Arteta contacts former team-mate Andrey Arshavin’ for Arsenal transfer help

According to the British newspaper . the Daily Star, Arsenal are plotting a summer transfer move for Zenit St Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun – and Mikel Arteta’s former team-mate Andrey Arshavin could play a helping hand

Mikel Arteta has reportedly turned to former team-mate Andrey Arshavin in a bid to land one of his summer transfer targets.

The Gunners have identified Iranian star Sardar Azmoun of Zenit St Petersburg as a target to add a fresh option in attack, according to Area Napoli.

And Arteta ‘s relationship with Arshavin from their playing days at the Emirates could give them an advantage with the Russian now in charge of transfers at Zenit.

It is claimed he has already been in contact with Arshavin over a deal for Azmoun after he was offered to the club in April as they aim to cash-in.

The club are reportedly in the process of gathering more information over a potential move for Azmoun, with Arshavin on hand to provide a bridge between the two parties with plenty of experience of life with the Gunners.

Azmoun has been reported to be a target for many clubs including Italian Seria A side, Napoli. The player himself has remained tight-lipped about any possible moves this summer. Azmoun says he is concentrating on winning the Russian League title with Zenit.

*Arteta and Arshavin in training during their playing time in Arsenal*

19/04/202020/04/2020

Azmoun suitors.

No doubt that the global lockdown and ceased football activities have deprived the media of reporting on football’s numerous competitions and actions on the field thus denying the journalist and reporters from vital sources of material to fill pages and pages of newspapers or electronic media.

To compensate for that, the media has found an alternative source of news off the field and mostly focused on the transfer market.

This subject has always been doggy, to say the least as the countless number of false and fabricated news that has marred transfer market news has relegated such reports to the dustbin department with the significant majority of the fans losing interest in them. The fabricated news, many times originated by some of the players themselves for self-serving purposes or forcing their demands on their clubs, has left a bad taste in the mouths of true football fans.

However, What do you know as the subject of transfer news is suddenly alive and right at the top on the football news by the virtue of one COVID-19 endemic.

In this neck of the woods, the player who has been constantly in the limelight is no one but Sardar Azmoun.

The Team Melli and Zenit St. Petersburg striker, has been the subject of all sorts of transfer targets which neither the player himself or the club has ever confirmed.

After the English, then Scottish clubs’ interest, the focus shifted to Napoli of Serie A who were supposed to be the front runners in the race for Azmoun. However, it seems that Napoli must wait in turn as others are supposed to be interested as well.

Somewhat at this, it seems that La Liga club Sevilla FC is seeking to recruit him as well. Sardar Azmoun has spent his entire professional career in Russia, between Rubin Kazan and Rostov, until January 2019 when Zenit paid 12 million Euros for his transfer and signed him to a contract until 2022.

Now, the Saint Petersburg club, given the number of suitors who are linked to their player, would be asking for no less than 25 to 30 million, according to ‘Breakingnews’. The suitors, which includes Sevilla FC in a list of five clubs, are interested in the 25-year-old forward, who in the current season added 14 goals and 7 assists in his 29 official matches, currently being assessed by Transfermakt at 14.5 million euros, although his value a few months ago was 18 million.

KAZAN, RUSSIA – JUNE 20, 2018: Iran’s Sardar Azmoun (L) and Spain’s Gerard Pique in a First Stage Group B football match between Iran and Spain at Kazan Arena at FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Sergei Bobylev/TASS (Photo by Sergei BobylevTASS via Getty Images)

The rivals of the Sevilla FC club would be West Ham, Atlético de Madrid, Fiorentina, and Nápoli, who seem most interested in closing the signing of Azmoun as soon as possible and could present a formal offer shortly to avoid the auction that could stand out when the market opens, according to the aforementioned source.

‘Breakingnews’, adds that it is the intermediary Fali Ramadani who is in permanent contact with the Spanish director of Zenit, the Spanish Javier Ribalta, as well as with the footballer’s family to evaluate all possibilities.

The premier league side West Ham are one of several clubs in a ‘fierce competition’ to sign Sardar Azmoun according to http://sportwitness.co.uk/

As on many other fronts, therefore, competition would be high if Sevilla FC decided to move for Azmoun, the protagonist of a curious story because before deciding on football, he played volleyball and went international for his country in several age level teams without playing a single match in the domestic Persian Gulf Professional league.

Azmoun, a Turkmen born in Gonbad-e Kavus has scored 32 goals in 50 matches at the international level for Team Melli.

He is perhaps the most valuable player in Team Melli who missed the FIFA World Cup 2014 by a whisker when Carlos Queiroz, despite his strong admiration of Azmoun’s talent, decided to exclude him from the squad heading to Brazil because of his young age.

06/04/2020

Azmoun denies any approach by Napoli.

Team Melli and Zenit St. Petersburg striker, announced that he has no information about the Italian Serie ‘A’ club’s offer.

Sardar Azmoun, who was enjoying his most successful season before the COVID-19 outbreak, has been widely reported in the Italian press that he is a subject of interest by Napoli, and it has been announced that the Italian team is ready to pay more than 20 million euros for his services.

Regarding the offer, Sardar Azmoun said: “I don’t know about Napoli’s offer except for what I read in the media like everyone else. There has been no official contact from my management on that either.”

Azmoun added “I have a contract with Zenit for another year and a half. I am committed to this contract and enjoying my time here. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future.”

Sardar Azmoun, who was ranked second in the Russian league goalscoring charts last season, has also excelled this season, earning Zenit the defending champions the top position of the Russian league table.

Azmoun has scored 10 goals so far this season including a hat-trick in his last game against Ural on 14th March.

03/03/2020

Bad news all over for Iran’s football.

If you are a die-hard fan of Iranian football, the bad news coming out of Iran is enough to send one into depression.

It seems that since Carlos Queiroz left the country to seek his fortunes in Latin America with the Colombian National team, hardly anything has gone right for Team Melli and Iran’s football in general. It all started with the recruitment of Marc Wilmots, a coach who has been sacked in his last two jobs with the latest appointment lasting only six months with the Ivory Coast. For the first time in decades, Team Melli suffered two consecutive defeats and that was in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

There have been a lot of secret talks and behind the scene negotiation to find a competent and true replacement for the legendary Queiroz. The odds on that were quite low for a lot of reasons. Not only the leading and the renowned coaches were already active coaching teams and thus not available, the second tiers looking for a job, did not put Iran’s Team Melli coaching on the top of their priority. Any potential foreign coach fancied the job but examined Queiroz’s experience in Iran or heard about the pandemonium in the football federation management with several layers of governance making decisions, would have thought twice before indulging in such an adventure.

Not surprisingly there were no quality takers for the job. Is this a Queiroz curse ?!

Then came the real shock. While the masses were waiting for an Amir Ghalenoei or an Ali Daei to take over the helm, there comes an outsider and takes over the chair. To the utter shock of many, Dragan Skocic, a Croat who was coaching Sanat Naft was announced as Head Coach of Team Melli and assumed responsibility without much fanfare.

While the Croat enthusiastically started his mission by building rapport in preparing for the two upcoming matches, the coronavirus struck and chances of the fans seeing Skocic in action is delayed for at least 3 or 4 months.

Team Melli at least has a leader in Skocis, the football federations do not. The leadership struggles, political interference, influences, and the circus, continues in the head-less FFIRI. Mehdi Taj was forced to resign citing ill-health while the government is looking for an obedient regime stooge to install him as President of the Federation in the upcoming election!

FIFA got hold of these games and finally put its foot down hard on the authorities and the FFIRI itself declaring any elections under the current conditions and rules will not be recognized by FIFA unless the FFIRI amends its statute and rules in compliance with the international football law governance.

Away from Team Melli, Iranian clubs in the AFC Champions league displayed their worst performances and results ever with one solitary win in 8 matches. It was not only the results that were disappointing but the manner of defeats and the amateurish attitudes of the Iranian players with a lack of character and professionalism that hurt the most.

The so-called professional football league devoid of proper competition is full of drama, however, yet nothing like what Sepahan club did when they refused to turn up for the match against Persepolis in their home ground Naghsh Jehan stadium in Esfahan for. These things belong to the fifties and in Europe, such acts may result in relegation to lower divisions, but the FFIRI disciplinary committee like the rest of the federation is as incompetent as the rest of the federation. When it comes to applying strict discipline and punitive measures.

And then there are players who receive a cheque from one club to turn up playing for another club in a league match!

The initial enthusiasm of Iranian legionnaires in Europe all but evaporated with one player after another struggling to make the starting line-up. Even Sardar Azmoun was benched in Zenit last match with Jahanbakhsh remaining a solid benchwarmer in Brighton, Ezattolahi making a rare cameo appearance in a lowly Belgian league club and Taremi losing that initial goalscoring brilliant run of his in the Portuguese league.

Very little good news to report from Iran’s football. Perhaps it needs a real shake-up and severe jolt for it to recover again.

29/12/2019

Crystal Palace chasing Sardar Azmoun with a lucrative offer.

Crystal Palace is actively seeking squad reinforcement in the January Transfer windows market. Roy Hodgson needs reinforcements if they want to maintain their current status and look forward to one of the qualifying places in European competitions.

Crystal Palace is in no man’s land at the moment, after a great start to the season. The Selhurst Park team has some shortcomings and needs to go to the winter market if it wants to maintain some peace of mind in the remainder of the season. According to ‘Sport-Express’, The Iranian Sardar Azmoun, Zenit St. Petersburg forward, would be on the top of the list and object of desire of the board of the English team in the month of January.

The Team Melli player arrived at the Russian giant in February in exchange for about 12 million euros and signed a three and a half years contract with St. Petersburg until 2022.
Roy Hodgson already made it clear at a press conference that he wants several signings and Azmoun tops the list. if his transfer is completed, The Iranian would be the most expensive player in the history of his country. Currently, Alireza Jahanbakhsh holds the record with 12 million pounds.

CRYSTAL PALACE ADVANCES WITH € 30 MILLION BY AZMOUN
Sardar Azmoun has been a pivotal player in the Zenit squad along his Russian international Artem Dzyuba, the Iranian striker forms an attacking duo that helped lift the St. Petersburg team to the top spot in the championship.

The good performances have not gone unnoticed and Azmoun has aroused the greed of several clubs. According to Sport Express, Crystal Palace is willing to pay Zenit € 30 million on market reopening. The South London side will have already contacted the Russians but has not yet received a reply.

A product of Sepahan’s youth Academy, Azmoun joined Zenit in 2018 after excelling at Rostov. In total, he scored 23 goals in 41 matches.

05/10/2019

Mahdavikia urges Sardar Azmoun to continue his European success.

Sardar Azmoun has been one of the few Iranian players that continue shinning in European football.

The Team Melli striker who has never played a league game in Iran’s domestic league has broken the record of goals scored in UEFA Champions League competition by Iranian players held jointly by Ali Daei and Mehdi Mahdavikia who both scored 3 goals in total in that competition.

On Wednesday 2nd October 2019, in the Zenit St. Petersburg match against Benfica, Sardar scored his second goal in as many matches in this competition this season to increase his tally to 4 goals overall. Sardar has already scored for FC Rostov before joining Zenit.

Mehdi MahdaviKia in response to Sardar Azmoun’s achievement said: “I am very happy to see Sardar scoring in the Champions League. After a few years, we see a bright Iranian player at this level who is making us all proud.” He continued: “We have not had an Iranian player at this level for many years and I am very happy Azmoun has been able to achieve this. I hope his goals scoring continues.

Mahdavi Kia, in response to Sardar’s passing his record, said: “It was not a record that was impossible to achieve as three goals were there to be broken. However, I hope Sardar can score more goals and continue his success in the UEFA Champions League to achieve a much better record”

On the other side of Europe, and to be precise, in Glasgow, there still seems to be some regret with the fact that Sardar did not transfer to the Scottish Champion and instead elected to Join Zenit.

Glasgow Celtic reportedly wanted to bring Sadar Azmoun to the Scottish Premiership before he started scoring Champions League goals for Zenit St Petersburg.

Most Celtic fans would give an arm, or perhaps a finger or two, to reach the latter stages of the Europa League this season according to Scottish sports journalist, Danny Owen

“It’s been far too long since The Hoops really competed on the continent and Neil Lennon has a huge challenge even plotting a way out of a Europa League group containing Lazio, Rennes and a Cluj side who triumphed 4-3 at Parkhead just two months ago.” He wrote in his blog.

“Fortunately, Celtic have one of the sharpest young strikers anywhere on the continent now. In his third season in green and white, Odsonne Edouard is showing the sort of form that will have defenders everywhere quaking in their boots.”

“But, for all his qualities, and that clinical header against Cluj on Thursday, Edouard still cannot hold a candle to Sardar Azmoun when it comes to scoring goals in European competition.”

According to The Mirror (22 April, page 48), Celtic wanted to sign the so-called ‘Iranian Messi’ back in the summer of 2018, shortly before he left Rubin Kazan for Zenit St Petersburg in a deal worth £10.5 million (L’Equipe).

Since Azmoun was linked with a move to the Scottish giants, he has taken his game to a whole new level, scoring five goals in just six games in both the Champions League and the Europa League. His most recent, a brilliantly taken solo effort against Benfica, sealed three points for Zenit on Wednesday night in the Champions League group stage.

In total, Azmoun averages a goal every 1.2 European games, compared to Edouard’s 2.7.

09/09/2019

Good test for Wilmots against Hong Kong

Hong Kong returns home for their second Fifa 2022 World Cup qualifier and, after a disappointing 1-1 draw away against Cambodia, they host Asia’s top-ranked team, Iran.
While Tuesday’s game already has a make-or-break feel to it for Hong Kong in their effort to make it through to a first World Cup finals and qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, the same is not true for the opposition.

The heavy favourites to top the group will play their first game in this qualifying campaign when they visit Hong Kong Stadium.

There were fears the match would not go-ahead after the Iranian Football Federation appealed for the match to be played on neutral ground because of the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong.

Iran’s Sardar Azmoun dribbles past China’s Feng Xiaoting in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final. Photo: Xinhua

Despite the official protest, FIFA has not appeared to have agreed to the Iranians request, hence it takes full responsibility on players safety. It is generally assumed that the political protest by Hong Kong residents will have very little or no effect on the match.

With the game going ahead as planned, Hong Kong may have a chance on the pitch with Team Melli having slipped up in the past by failing to take seriously.

Iranians had at times some tendency to “underestimate” its weaker opponents. With a new boss at the helm, it is highly doubtful that this will be the case against Hong Kong in the first competitive match for boss Marc Wilmots who is keen to start the World Cup qualifiers with a win.

Marc Wilmots, the former Belgium manager replaced Carlos Queiroz in June. The Portuguese left after a disappointing AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. They unexpectedly lost 3-0 to Japan in the semi-finals in a tournament many had tipped them to win. For Wilmots, this match will be ideal as he is facing a not-so-strong opposition in Hong Kong. Wilmots will not be satisfied with a close win wither as he has already made his views known about the style he wants his team play. His emphasis is not only on attacking football but also playing a modern passing game, something his predecessor did with caution.

Iran players react after losing to Portugal at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia. Photo: EPA

Team Melli has one major absentee in Mehdi Taremi, their top scorer. Taremi suffered a knock in a league match in Portugual with his club Rio Ave that prevented him from training and taking part in this opener. The former Al Gharafa and Persepolis striker has been in top form in Portugal scoring a hat trick in a match while winning an incredible six penalties for his team early in the season.
Team Melli will hardly be shaken by Taremi’s absence, though, as Sardar Azmoun is enjoying his best season with Russian Champions Zenit St. Petersburg. Azmoun will spearhead Iran’s attack against Hong Kong.

Mixu Paatelainen’s Hong Kong side will have their work cut out against a team ranked 23rd in the world, 116 places above them.

At 18, Sayyadmanesh is the youngest of Iranian players who will face Hong Kong. Team Melli has a mix of experience and youth in a squad that includes 100-plus cap Ehsan Hajsafi.

Not even Hajsafi was around when the teams last met in 1988, but the result might end the same. Iran has won four of the five meetings between the teams, and have a 100 per cent record over Hong Kong in competitive games.

TEAM MELLI SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal), Rashid Mazaheri (Tractor)

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian (Al-Shahania SC), Majid Hosseini (Trabzonspor), Milad Mohammadi (Gent), Vouria Ghafouri (Esteghlal), Mohammadhossein Kananizadegan (Persepolis), Siavash Yazdani (Esteghlal), Morteza Pouraliganji (Al-Arabi), Mohammad Naderi (Persepolis)

Midfielders: Omid Ebrahimi (Al Ahli, Qatar), Masoud Shojaei (Tractor), Ahmad Nourollahi (Persepolis), Ali Karimi (Esteghlal), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Ehsan Hai Safi (Tractor)

Strikers: Ashkan Dejagah (Tractor), Sardar Azmoun (Zenit), Karim Ansarifard (Al-Sailiya), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis), Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (Fenerbahce), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Brighton)

12/07/2019

Liverpool and Sardar Azmoun

Team Melli striker, Sardar Azmoun has finally reacted to rumours about the Interest of the European Leauge Champions, Liverpool FC interest in signing him.

Azmoun said “Whatever the case, I am a Zenit St. Petersburg player and I am bound by the contract. If there is anything, then the club will make it public. Right now, I have nothing to add”

Liverpool have been scouting Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun and the Iranian’s excellent form has impressed the onlookers, according to reports in Russia. Azmoun has been in exceptional form in the Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg ever since his winter move to the club from Rubin Kazan. The 24-year-old moved to Zenit from Rubin Kazan on 1 February this year and has been finding the back of the net on a regular basis ever since.

Azmoun has scored 14 goals in 17 matches across all competitions since his arrival, including the two in the Russian Super Cup on Saturday, which Liverpool scouts were in attendance for, according to SovSport. Zenit went on to lose 3-2 to Lokomotiv Moscow, but the brace from the Iranian appeared to confirm to the visitors from Merseyside that he is the bright talent they thought he was. Currently, Jurgen Klopp team has Mohammed Salah, Saido Mane, Roberto Firmino, Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi in their forward line.

Liverpool was first linked with Azmoun back in the January transfer window of 2017, but he was not interested in the switch due to a likely lack of game time.

“There were talks of Liverpool having expressed an interest in me during the past winter transfer window,” Azmoun said in 2017.

“However, I did not feel the time to move was right. I would have ended up playing a few games and then spent a great deal of time on the bench as Liverpool were only looking to fill a void for a particular part of their season. I want to move to a big club to develop as a player and therefore I will time the move with great precision. I am sure I will be playing for a top European club in the near future.”

Azmoun commented on the replacement for Queiroz and said: “I am very pleased that Wilmots’ appointment. He is a great coach for the national team. He and Queiroz are both good coaches. My point is that we should be happy to welcome a new coach and show due respect to the one that departed as well”.

Azmoun was asked about the change in tactics and how it affected him during the World Cup 2018 by the way the team played, he said: “At the World Cup, I was tasked to retreat and support our defensive line, while I never did it before in my career. Maybe that’s why people were criticizing me. It’s good now that the national team plays an offensive plan, but if we play aggressively and do not conclude, people still say criticize”.

“I do not seek the Iranian scoring record,” he said, referring to the large number of international matches and the possibility of him breaking the all-time goal-scoring record currently held by Ali Daei. Azmoun said “Ali Daei is a great player, a legend. Anyone can perhaps beat this record but that still does not diminish the value of the player.”

04/07/201906/07/2019

Zenit’s reported Rogic interest could give Celtic a golden chance to sign Sardar Azmoun

Danny Owen

https://www.hitc.com/

Russian Premier League winner Sardar Azmoun has been linked with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic since 2017.

Celtic might just have been handed the best chance they will ever get to finally bring Sardar Azmoun to Glasgow.

The Mirror (22 April, page 48) reported last year that The Hoops were eyeing an ambitious swoop for a player who’s ‘Iranian Messi’ moniker has followed him around for as long as memory will allow. That came approximately 12 months after Celtic first expressed their interest in Azmoun, who’s £10 million price-tag would have made him the Premiership champions’ all-time record signing.

But if this long-awaited switch is ever going to happen, it’s now.

According to The Herald, Zenit St Petersburg are planning a £9 million bid for Celtic’s enigmatic midfielder Tom Rogic. The Russian champions will have to do a lot better than that, however, with Celtic demanding closer to £15 million for the former Central Coast Mariners starlet.

Offering Azmoun as part of the deal, however, might be enough to twist Celtic’s arm.

The 24-year-old enjoyed the best season of his career after swapping Rubin Kazan for Zenit, netting 17 times in all competitions including three in four Europa League matches.

A clinical finisher with a fearsome leap, Azmoun looks every inch the natural-born goalscorer Celtic have needed since Moussa Dembele left for Lyon. If Zenit is willing to offer Azmoun for Rogic, the Hoops might just have to bite their hands off.