Jahanbakhsh Could Become Best Iranian to Play in the Premier League

The conclusion of the World Cup inevitably brings a flurry of moves in the transfer market, with clubs eager to move quickly based on what they have witnessed in Russia. While the ubiquity of the internet now prevents the World Cup from revealing completely unknown gems, the tournament is still useful for clubs to see how potential stars adapt to the pressures of a big stage. Iran earned many plaudits for their resolve and resilience in a tough group, but it was the team effort that was lauded more than any specific individuals. Yet Iran's expected key player for the tournament, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, may earn his big move following the competition in Russia.

Ready to move to the big leagues

Jahanbakhsh was widely tipped to be a success at the World Cup, and justifiably so. Four Four Two considered him one of the ten potential breakout stars, even making comparisons between the AZ Alkmaar winger and Mohamed Salah. Jahanbakhsh attracted the attention of footballing commentators when he became the first Asian to finish as top scorer in a Western European league, notching an impressive 21 goals in 33 games. Those figures become even more impressive when taking into account that Jahanbakhsh managed to find the time to provide 12 assists as well, and all from a starting berth on the right wing.

His form propelled AZ to a third-placed finish, and it is that form rather than his World Cup displays that will have attracted the attention of the English Premier League's Leicester City. Jahanbakhsh scored two hat-tricks in the closing months of the domestic campaign, creating enthusiasm for this form to continue directly into the World Cup. He was unable to help turn the tide against a dominant Morocco in their opening match, but Iran held firm defensively and claimed a stunning late victory thanks to an own goal. Jahanbakhsh dropped out of the starting line-up for the narrow defeat to Spain, but returned in the 1-1 draw that had Portugal fearing for their World Cup survival. Jahanbakhsh will be disappointed that he did not leave a mark on the tournament individually, but the experience of being part of Carlos Queiroz's cohesive team will enrich his playing ability.

The new Mahrez

Leicester City have a considerable void to be filled in their starting line-up, with Algerian international Riyad Mahrez departing to Manchester City for £60 million. Mahrez played a pivotal role in Leicester's shock Premier League title of 2015/16, with his intuitive link-ups with Jamie Vardy and his ability to pull goals out of nothing making him a difficult man to replace. Leicester traded at an incredible price of 5000/1 to win the Premier League title before the season began, which the BBC noted were the same odds of Elvis Presley being found alive. As of 16th July, Leicester are available at odds of 250/1 with Betway Sports to finish this season as champions, with this price reflecting how their shock title win did not immediately turn them into a member of the elite but has given them the grounding to be hunting down a spot in the top six.

Leicester finished ninth last season in a reasonable campaign. If Jahanbakhsh's transfer to Leicester does come to fruition, he will be expected to hit the ground running and start chipping in with goals and assists. Jahanbakhsh has shown that he is comfortable with being the main man at AZ, so he should thrive with the high expectations. Of course, Eredivisie goals haven't always translated to Premier League success, with Afonso Alves the much-cited cautionary tale when players make the switch from the Dutch league to the English league. The obvious counter-argument would be a certain Luis Suarez, who didn't exactly do too badly when he made that switch himself.

Jahanbakhsh would become the fourth Iranian to step out onto a Premier League pitch. The pioneering Iranian was Karim Bagheri of Charlton, who only stepped out onto a Premier League pitch once. Andranik Teymourian and Ashkan Dejagah enjoyed more success than their predecessor. Teymourian earned over a century of caps for Iran and became a cult hero at Bolton Wanderers for his 20 appearances, while Dejagah became an important part of a Fulham side and bagged five Premier League goals. That Fulham side did go on to get relegated in Dejagah's second season, so the bar is not set too high for Jahanbakhsh to leap over. If he can slot into Leicester's side as seamlessly as Mahrez did, then Alireza Jahanbakhsh will be dreaming of recreating his AZ form and propelling the Foxes to more success.