Jahanbakhsh fancies Bundesliga future once Feyenoord contract expires
Feyenoord midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh hinted at a future away from the Dutch Eredivisie as he is to embark on a new chapter in his career.
The 30-year-old Iranian, whose contract with the Dutch club runs out at the end of season, said the German Bundesliga could be a fascinating destination for the start of next campaign.
“Bundesliga has always been one of my favorite leagues in Europe. We had many Iranian players in the German league, who played at the highest level and I grew up watching them play for their clubs and the national team,” the Iranian said in an interview with Ziggo Sport in the Netherlands.
Iranian football legends Ali Daei, Karim Baqeri, Khodadad Azizi, and Mahdi Mahdavikia joined the German top flight in the mid-90s, before Ali Karimi and Vahid Hashemian won the league with Bayern Munich in the early years of the new century.
The Iranian skipper, meanwhile, added a move to the Italian Serie A could also be on the cards.
“I like Serie A a lot. We already have Iranian players in that league, so that would be interesting to play in Italy. Let’s see what happens in the future,” added Jahanbakhsh, who has 17 goals in 83 international caps under his belt.
International teammate Sardar Azmoun is spending a loan season in AS Roma from Leverkusen, while Porto striker Mahdi Taremi is set to join Inter as a free agent in the summer.
First introduced to the European football with NEC Nijmegen over a decade ago, Jahanbakhsh signed for fellow-Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar in 2015.
A remarkable three seasons with AZ – during which the Iranian bagged 37 goals and 31 assists in 111 appearances, winning the league’s top scorer prize – saw Brighton & Hove Albion come knocking in 2018 and Jahanbakhsh joined the Premier League side for a then-club record of €22.5 million.
His three-season spell in England, however, was one to forget as he only managed to score four goals in 61 appearances across all competitions – making 21 league starts under Chris Hughton and Graham Potter – though his wonder overhead strike against Chelsea in January 2020 was a contender for the goal of the season.
Jahanbakhsh returned to the Netherlands with Feyenoord in the summer of 2021 and won the league last season before lifting the KNVB Cup trophy in April.
A runner-up with Feyenoord in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, the Iranian has netted 17 goals, while providing his teammates with 15 assists, in 104 matches for the club in all competitions.