Beginning this week, PODWATCH will highlight the many wonderful podcasts being produced by Asian football fans across the continent. If you are interested in adding your show to PODWATCH, contact us at asia@football-tribe.com.
Launched in 2014 ahead of that year’s FIFA World Cup, the Gol Bezan Podcast has quietly become one of the most in-depth sources for interviews and discussion regarding Team Melli and Iranian football. With recent interviewees including national team head coach Carlos Queiroz and former Manchester United defender Rafael Da Silva, each episode is a guaranteed treat.
In their latest episode, Gol Bezan spoke with AZ Alkmaar manager John van den Brom, who had plenty of praise for prolific right winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh who is on a tear with 11 goals and eight assists in the current Eredivisie campaign.
“(Alireza) is still young but in our squad he’s one of the old guys. He has a lot of experience and he always tries to help everyone, especially the young boys … who are 16-18 years old,” van den Brom told the podcast. “Ali [remembers] his experience when he came to Holland and everyone helped him, and now he does the same.”
The former Anderlecht boss revealed that he does not expect to retain Alireza’s services beyond this season, with a move to Germany seeming more likely with every goal scored by the 24-year-old.
“He’s going to leave us at the end of this season; he’s played a fantastic season and he’ll play at the World Cup,” van den Brom said. “If he continues [to play well] I think it will be very hard for us to keep him at AZ. I want [to keep him] but I also see a player who wants to make the next step in his career.
“He’s said he’d like to go to the Bundesliga and honestly I think he’s ready.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more from van den Brom on Alireza’s communication skills, his thoughts on Carlos Queiroz, and what he thinks of Team Melli’s chances in Russia.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Gol Bezan on iTunes or your podcast app of choice.
