Persepolis signs Hungarian fullback Gera; Sepahan seals Mohebbi loan
Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis has completed the signing of Hungarian fullback Dániel Gera from Diósgyőr VTK in Hungary’s top flight, the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.
The season-and-a-half-long contract ends the Tehran Reds’ search for a replacement for former PSG and Tottenham fullback Serge Aurier on the right side of the defense, after the high-profile Ivorian parted ways with the club last month.
Aurier joined Persepolis with high expectations last summer, but an injury-hit campaign limited him to only five appearances in the first half of the ongoing domestic league season, with 19-year-old Yaqoub Barajeh serving as the first-choice right-back.
Gera, 30, recorded one goal and two assists in 17 games for Diósgyőr in the Hungarian league and cup this season.
A former Hungarian U21 international, Gera has four senior caps to his name, with his last appearance coming in a 1-1 draw against Germany in the UEFA Nations League in November 2024.
His move marks the second winter signing for Persepolis and Brazilian head coach Osmar Loss Vieira, following Uzbekistan international striker Igor Sergeev. Sergeev scored in his second outing to help the Reds beat Sepahan 2-1 in the so-called ‘Iranian Clasico’ on Friday, a result that saw Persepolis leapfrog its familiar foe to take top spot in the table.
Persepolis is reportedly on the verge of signing Iranian U23 defender Farzin Mo’amelehgari from Shams Azar, as Osmar seeks to provide competition for Milad Mohammadi in the left-back position.
Sepahancompletes Mohebbi move
Meanwhile, Sepahan has signed Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi on loan from Emirati club Ittihad Kalba until the end of the season.
Mohebbi scored nine goals and provided 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Sepahan last season before departing for the United Arab Emirates in August.
That successful campaign earned the 25-year-old his international debut in a dead rubber against Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers in June. He later netted his first goal and provided an assist for Team Melli in a 3-0 victory over North Korea.
Mohebbi, however, struggled to make an impact in the UAE’s ADNOC Pro League, failing to register a goal or assist in nine appearances while also missing seven games due to injury and suspension.
The left-footed winger last featured in Kalba’s 3-1 away defeat to Sharjah FC last week, where he was substituted at halftime.
The deal provides a major boost for Sepahan head coach Moharram Navidkia, who must cope without top scorer Mohammad Askari for the rest of the season. The young striker suffered a torn ligament while on duty with Iran at the U23 Asian Cup earlier this month.