From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Nov 2026
17 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Match14 Nov 2026
14 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 14 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 47 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
7.42, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Naft Tehran had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Amir Mehdi Janmaleki's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Majid Karimi chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
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From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Nov 2026
16 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 16, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Match7 Nov 2026
13 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 13 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match7 Nov 2026
Chastening afternoon for Naft Tehran
A 0‑5 beating by Malavan was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Squad9 Nov 2026
9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad9 Nov 2026
54 days out for Akbar Safarzadeh after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Naft Tehran will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market9 Nov 2026
Ariel Harush hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Naft Tehran can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Naft Tehran can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Mahan Bandani was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Oct 2026
15 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Match31 Oct 2026
12 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 12 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 11 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Squad2 Nov 2026
62 days out for Akbar Safarzadeh after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Naft Tehran will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Ariel Harush was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match31 Oct 2026
0‑1 to Sepahan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Naft Tehran's wait for a win
14 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Naft Tehran has to find a result from somewhere.
Match24 Oct 2026
11 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 11 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match26 Oct 2026
Naft Tehran are in real trouble now
Position 16, 0 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Match24 Oct 2026
0‑4 against Foolad, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 71 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Ariel Harush in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naft Tehran this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Oct 2026
13 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Match17 Oct 2026
The goals have deserted Naft Tehran
10 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Naft Tehran can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 81 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Ashkan Rashedi is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match17 Oct 2026
0‑1 to Gostaresh Foulad, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Amin Heydari falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Oct 2026
12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 89 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match10 Oct 2026
0‑4 to Siah Jamegan, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Match10 Oct 2026
9 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A one-man rearguard from Ariel Harush
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom12 Oct 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
In brief
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Squad
19 new faces, and Naft Tehran are still learning each other
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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The dugout
A promise honoured for Amin Heydari
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Oct 2026
11 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A fracture rules Akbar Safarzadeh out for 98 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Naft Tehran will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match3 Oct 2026
The goals have deserted Naft Tehran
8 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Naft Tehran can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A one-man rearguard from Ariel Harush
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Ariel Harush was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match3 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Naft Tehran can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Sep 2026
10 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad28 Sep 2026
105 days out for Akbar Safarzadeh after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Naft Tehran will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Match28 Sep 2026
0 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match26 Sep 2026
0‑3 against Rah Ahan, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match26 Sep 2026
7 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Ariel Harush in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naft Tehran this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Mehrdad Abdi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom28 Sep 2026
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad21 Sep 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 113 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match19 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Naft Tehran's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Naft Tehran has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match19 Sep 2026
6 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match19 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Majid Karimi after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Amirreza Changalvaei's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑4 by Tractor, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match12 Sep 2026
8 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Match12 Sep 2026
5 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Market14 Sep 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Market14 Sep 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Reza Taremi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hossein Baghlani, and the manager let it.
Boardroom14 Sep 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Squad14 Sep 2026
19 new faces, and Naft Tehran are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Sep 2026
Padideh go through and Naft Tehran go home, 0‑3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Match5 Sep 2026
7 matches without a win for Naft Tehran
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Naft Tehran are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Sep 2026
7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
The terraces7 Sep 2026
A cup embarrassment at Padideh follows Naft Tehran home
0-3. Going out of a cup is one afternoon; going out like that is a week of phone-ins, and the manager will hear every one of them.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Naft Tehran close the window on a squad of their own making
33 in and 0 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Match5 Sep 2026
4 matches without a goal for Naft Tehran
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Ariel Harush was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
Ariel Harush gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad31 Aug 2026
A one-man rearguard from Ariel Harush
There were 13 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match29 Aug 2026
0‑4 against Esteghlal, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match29 Aug 2026
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market31 Aug 2026
The fee is $78.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Sepahan drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Ariel Harush in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naft Tehran this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom31 Aug 2026
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Majid Karimi after 0‑4, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Naft Tehran and Sepahan have settled on $78.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to Naft Tehran's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Naft Tehran has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Siah Jamegan have kept their man, and Naft Tehran go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Match22 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Majid Karimi to a room that had heard them before.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Sepahan have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
A one-man rearguard from Ariel Harush
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Ariel Harush and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The offer went to Sepahan this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Alireza Sadipour arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Alireza Sadipour has, at Naft Tehran, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Match15 Aug 2026
Padideh left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Rah Ahan have kept their man, and Naft Tehran go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 2‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Alireza Sadipour commits to Naft Tehran for another 3 years.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Abdollah Hosseini, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 Aug 2026
A one-man rearguard from Ariel Harush
There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Everything agreed with Esteghlal Khuzestan, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Ariel Harush in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naft Tehran this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Esteghlal Khuzestan have kept their man, and Naft Tehran go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Match8 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Karim Dejagah 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Alireza Karimi has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Ehsan Hajsafi has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Hossein Mohammadi 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑8 by Saba, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad3 Aug 2026
5 saves does not settle the argument about whose fault it was, and the argument will run all week. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines whoever caused them.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Akbar Safarzadeh and Naft Tehran agree another 2 years.
Match1 Aug 2026
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Naft Tehran and Saba, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Boardroom3 Aug 2026
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Naft Tehran
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Naft Tehran asked and Malavan said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market3 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Reza Taremi has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market3 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Saman Noorafkan is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market3 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mohammad Taremi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.