Will Sardar Azmoun Get a Move to the English Premier League?

Previously dubbed as the Iranian Lionel Messi, Sardar Azmoun has long promised to reach the very top. For a number of years, speculation has surrounded the 26-year-old and whether he'll one day transfer to one a top-five European league. Currently, he appears settled at Zenit Saint Petersburg, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn't caught the eye of various top-flight teams. On talent alone, he appears ready-made to play for a traditional big club, but will the opportunity ever arise?

Clinical in Front of Goal

Prior to leaving Rubin Kazan for Zenit, the six-foot-one striker hadn’t been a consistent goalscorer. Between 2013 and 2019, Azmoun found the net on 33 occasions in 129 appearances for Kazan and Rostov, equating to just over one goal every four matches. However, since joining the seven-time Russian champions, he has taken his game to another level.

At the end of the 2019-20 campaign, the 26-year-old picked up the Golden Boot after scoring 17 goals in 28 games. Although he finished at the top level with Artem Dzyuba, he clinched the award having scored on fewer occasions from the penalty spot.

In the first 15 fixtures of the campaign, the Iranian had 11 goals to his name, as well as five assists. Regarding his consistency, having played 1,017 minutes in that time, Azmoun was averaging a goal every 92.45 minutes. Following his move to Zenit, Azmoun became far more well-rounded, and he’s now a ruthless attacker and a creator.

Attracting Interest from English Clubs

For much of the last few years, Azmoun has frequently been linked with a move to the reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool. According to a report from the Daily Express, which dates July 9th, 2019, Russian outlets claimed that the Reds had scouts at Zenit’s 3-2 loss to Lokomotiv Moscow, and were in attendance to watch the Iranian. Following that, Liverpool have yet to follow-up on their rumoured interest but may opt to change their stance given Roberto Firmino’s current struggles.

During the 2019-20 campaign, and although he scored match-winning goals, Firmino netted just nine goals in 38 appearances. Moreover, thus far in 2020-21, his tally sits at five in his first 18 appearances. If the 29-year-old is to retain his place as the central attacker for both Liverpool and Brazil, who, as of January 19th, are 6/1 in international football betting to win the World Cup in 2022, then he’ll need to improve his numbers.

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Along with the Reds, Azmoun is being linked with a move to Arsenal. It’s believed that Mikel Arteta's relationship with Andrey Arshavin, who works in recruitment at Zenit, has alerted the Gunners to the Iranian’s potential availability. However, now Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has committed his future to the London club, Azmoun may no longer be a priority for the Arsenal manager.

Waiting for Someone to Bite the Bullet

Make no mistake about it, Azmoun is now a top-class goalscoring forward. His ability to find the back of the net would makes him a valuable asset to any top-flight side in Europe’s leading divisions. Given that both Arsenal and Liverpool have struggled for goals in 2020-21, the solution to their problems may be a 26-year-old Golden Boot winner from the Russian Premier League.