Arsenal linked with Iran superstar Sardar Azmoun, things to know about him

Bengaluru, June 17: If reports in England are to be believed, Arsenal have inquired about the availability of Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Sardar Azmoun. It is claimed that the Gunners are hoping that their former fan favourite Andrey Arshavin being in charge of the Russian giants' transfer team would help them facilitate the deal smoothly despite the fact that the 25-year-old is also a target of fellow Premier League clubs like Leicester City, Everton as well as Serie A giants Napoli.

Azmoun is pretty much a relatively known name to those who follow football closely in England as the striker has been linked with Liverpool on a number of occasions in the past. Brendan Rodgers was keen on the forward back when he was in charge of the Reds and even tried to bring him to Celtic and now stands in Arsenal's way as he is once again looking for a move for the dynamic forward at Leicester City.

Here, we will discuss about the 25-year-old who is also the poster boy of Iranian football who are among the best in Asia right now.

The Iranian Messi

For the last decade or so, we have seen the most talented players of a country being hailed as the Messi of that nation and such has been the case with Azmoun as well. Almost every 'Next Messi' has never been able to justify such heavy expectations heaped on their shoulders although there are a few exceptions like Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri who have excelled at the top level.

Despite Azmoun being christened as 'The Iranian Messi', he hardly resembles the Argentine maestro. First of all, he is predominantly right-footed although his left foot is quite strong. With a frame of 6 ft 1 in, his physique is also not comparable. The comparison probably started only because he was Iran's best talent in many years and he is by far the best player for the Iran national team.

A complete forward

Sardar Azmoun is predominantly a number nine but can also feature across anywhere in the final third. He is gifted technically and has bags of pace. Also, the 25-year-old has always been praised for his eye for a pass and his selfless nature which is uncommon for centre forwards. In many ways, the Zenit Saint Petersburg is comparable to Roberto Firmino.

He is a complete forward and would be a perfect fit at a club like Arsenal who have played an attractive brand of football under Mikel Arteta. He might have to live up to the expectations of replacing want-away club captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who has been one of the most feared strikers in Europe in the last few years. But, if given the time and the right guidance, he can prove to be a great addition to the Gunners' attack thanks to his all-round game.

A prolific goalscorer

Azmoun has been highly rated since a very young age but his growth as a player has actually been quite slow. The Iranian was decent at Rostov but found it hard to live up to expectations at Rubin Kazan. However, since he joined Zenit last year, he has never looked back having scored 26 goals while creating 10 for his teammates in 46 games across all competitions.

He has also been impressive for the Iran national team having scored 32 goals in 50 games for his country. It seems that the 25-year-old has finally found his best form. Although, the switch from Russia to England is quite big and it is hard to tell whether he can find similar success in England or not but he certainly looks like an impressive striker.

It is claimed that Azmoun could be sold by Zenit for just £13m as they are struggling financially and considering the price, Arsenal could land a significant bargain if the 25-year-old clicks in English football. Every deal involves some risk but when the price is attractive, Arsenal should definitely take the chance.