Reds reunion: Persepolis signs Iranian Kan’anizadegan
Iranian international center-back Mohammad-Hossein Kan’anizadegan rejoined Iranian league and cup champion Persepolis as a free agent.
This will be a third spell in the Tehran Reds’ shirt for the 29-year-old defender, who lifted two top-flight trophies with the club before signing for Qatar Stars League side Al Ahli in 2021.
The Iranian scored seven goals in 41 outings for Al Ahli, which finished eighth in the Qatari league’s 12-team table last season.
“I’m so thrilled to be back home. I had offers from the Saudi league and the UAE but Persepolis was always my top priority,” said the Iranian after signing a two-year contract.
Kan’ani is the third summer signing for head coach Yahya Golmohammadi after striker Shahab Zahedi and ex-Sepahan midfielder Masoud Rigi.
Kan’ani, who has 37 international caps under his belt and was part of the team in the last two World Cups as well as the 2019 Asian Cup, will compete with Iran teammate Morteza Pouraliganji and Georgian Giorgi Gvelesiani – two integral parts to the Reds’ domestic double winning campaign – for a place in the starting XI.
“It does not really matter who will be the first-choice center-back. Be it one minute on the pitch or a full 90 minutes, Persepolis success is all that matters. We have an unfinished job at the AFC Champions League and that’s why I came back here,” added Kan’ani, a finalist with the Reds in the Asian elite clubs competition in 2020, suffering a 2-1 defeat against South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai.