The Esteghlal Khuzestan Herald
Market10 Aug 2026
Esteghlal Khuzestan say no — this time
The offer from Saba for Amin Heydari was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Esteghlal Khuzestan
Hamid Bouhamdan and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The terraces10 Aug 2026
The crowd has taken to Hojjat Ahmadi
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Vahid Jahanbakhsh joins the Esteghlal Khuzestan first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Vahid Jahanbakhsh is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Shahriar Torabi joins the Esteghlal Khuzestan first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Shahriar Torabi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
Ehsan Beiranvand steps up from the Esteghlal Khuzestan academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Ehsan Beiranvand has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Match8 Aug 2026
Abolfazl Zadehattar the difference as Esteghlal Khuzestan beat Padideh
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Abolfazl Zadehattar. 1‑0 against Padideh, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Too much change too quickly at Esteghlal Khuzestan
16 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Esteghlal Khuzestan ask about Ali Kolahkaj
A loan enquiry to Foolad: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
In brief
- Player ratings Nobody on the pitch touched Abolfazl Zadehattar
- The dugout The view from the dugout
- Squad Abolfazl Zadehattar is a square peg at Esteghlal Khuzestan