Mehdi Taremi and Rio Ave finished their season in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and they can both celebrate.
Rio Ave secured a Europa League spot for next season, also thanks to Taremi who scored 18 goals in his European debut.
The transfer of Mehdi Taremi was one of the significant moves in the 2019 summer Asian transfer window. The 28-year-old striker spent most of his career in Iran and left the domestic league for the first time in 2018 when he signed for the Qatari club Al-Gharafa. A year ago, Taremi signed a two-year contract in Rio Ave and became the third Iranian footballer to play in Portugal.
From his very first appearances for Rio Ave, the Iranian forward was delivering. He scored a hat-trick in his first lineup appearance against Desportivo Aves. A week later, he was responsible for three penalties in Rio Ave’s favour, as the club defeated Sporting 3-2. Before the coronavirus outbreak, Rio Ave was ranked in 5th place, and Taremi scored 8 league goals - a decent season overall.
When the league resumed in June, Taremi became Rio Ave's hero. He scored 10 goals in 10 matches, increasing his scoring record to 18 league goals, and tied for the league's top scorer with Carlos Vinicius of Benfica. Taremi also became the top scorer for Rio Ave in a single season since Armando Fati N'Habola scored 20 goals in 1983. For Rio Ave, his goals were worth a Europa League spot. They will now play for the 4th time in 7 seasons.
Meanwhile, there are reports about Taremi's future in Portugal. According to the Portuguese media, Benfica wants to buy him for €10m. "He already had offers from France, Russia, Germany, and two out of the three big three clubs in Portugal," said his agent, Alireza Nikoomanesh, earlier this month. If such an offer is made, Taremi will be the third most expensive Iranian player in history, behind two of his teammates from Team Melli - Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun.
For Mehdi Taremi, the 2019/20 season was a memorable one. His first year in Europe was one of the greatest seasons of an Iranian player in recent years. It would be exciting to see where the Team Melli star will land next season.
Thumbnail photo from Rio Ave official Facebook page.
