Jahanbakhsh: Brighton or Leicester?

Atbin Moayedi | @AtbinM

Iranian and Dutch Eredivisie star winger is currently in Paris sorting out a work permit for his impending arrival in the Premier League. 

After a stellar season in the Eredivise, in which the 24-year-old scored 21 and assisted 12, he has attracted several suitors.

The most serious of these are Leicester and Brighton and the latter are currently leading the race for the winger’s signature. Testament to Alireza’s ability is the fact that Brighton are willing to break their transfer record with a rumoured €25m bid (£22.3m).

This would be a coup for the Seagulls (even my friend who is a life-long Brighton fan and season ticket-holder admits that he is too good for Brighton).

For footballing reasons, I would rather he goes to Leicester where he would be a prefect replacement for Riyad Mahrez after the Algerian’s £60m-move to Manchester City.

Alireza is two-footed, loves to shoot from distance and, in a recent interview on Iranian TV, he admitted that he prefers assisting over scoring. He can provide Kevin de Bruyne-esque eye-of-the-needle passes through defensive lines, pin-point crosses and delicious balls over the top.

This fits in perfectly for players like the Foxes’ Jamie Vardy or the Seagulls’ Glenn Murray, both of whom will most certainly achieve high goal scoring stats if Alireza goes to their respective club. As a London-resident, for selfish reasons, I would love to see him at Brighton. However, Leicester is my preference.

Regardless, he would be playing under two great coaches in Claude Puel and Chris Hughton (I’m a particular fan of the latter). Both clubs play offensive, fast-paced football. A trifecta of Demarai Gray-Jamie Vardy-Alireza Jahanbakhsh or Jose Izquierdo-Glenn Murray-Alireza Jahanbakhsh would be a formidable offensive line.

Alireza has, with the guidance of agent and Gol Bezan colleague Mr Amir Hashemi, previously always made the correct decisions with regards to staying or leaving his club and I’m certain that he will make the right one again. If he manages to overcome the challenge of the increased pace and physicality of the Premier League, and the smaller amount of space that he will get, then I am confident that he will play for a Champions League club by the 2020/21 season.