Avispa Fukuoka Photo: Getty Images
Avispa Fukuoka will face Shonan Bellmare in the third round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, which will be held on the 9th of this month. With the departure of FW Yuya Yamagishi and FW Lukian, it was reported that there was a possibility that they would move to acquire Iranian national team FW Shahab Zahedi, but as of the 4th of this month, it has been confirmed that the player will transfer to Fukuoka.
Zahedi, 28 years old, is 187cm tall and is an ambidextrous striker. He was promoted to Persepolis’ first team in 2014 and has been transferred to the club repeatedly since then, but in 2015 he was suspended from competitive matches for two years for doping violations. He returned to Persepolis from Zorya in the Ukrainian First Division in July last year, and in the 2023/24 season he played in 16 games in the Iranian First Division, scoring six goals and one assist. He also played in all six games in the AFC Champions League (ACL) group stage, scoring one goal and one assist. He played against Al Nasr, whose forward Cristiano Ronaldo plays, and Al Duhail, whose forward Michael Olunga, formerly of Kashiwa Reysol, plays.
Regarding Zahedi’s departure, there were rumors in the middle of last month that he would be transferring to Malaysian First Division Johor Darul Takzim FC, but Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported on the 26th of last month that “he plans to join Fukuoka.” .
On the same day, Persepolis officially announced Zahedi’s departure, and Iranian media “Varzesh3” reported, “Zahedi answered “Yes” to the question “Are you going to the J-League?” According to this report, the player himself stated that a transfer to the J League was the default option, saying, “We are already talking to the club and an announcement will be made at the appropriate time.”
Then, on the 4th of this month, Iranian journalist Fahad said, “Zahedi is currently in Japan in preparation for the transfer to Fukuoka.It is expected that a medical check will be carried out this week.The transfer to Fukuoka is almost 100. % Completed” in English. He also wrote in Japanese, “Persepolis FW Shahab Zahedi will transfer to J1 Avispa Fukuoka.”
If this report by Fahad is true, it is doubtful whether Zahedi will participate in the match against Shonan, but there is a possibility that he will make his debut in the J1 Round 4 match against FC Tokyo to be held on the 16th of this month. Zahedi, who made his debut for the Iranian national team in the CAFA Nations Cup match against Kyrgyzstan on June 16 last year, is likely to make history as the first Iranian player in J.League history.