Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
London: Reigning AFC Cup champions Kuwait Sports Club have made an impressive addition to their side ahead of the resumption of their title defence with the signing of Iran international Reza Ghoochannejhad on a season-long loan deal from English Championship side Charlton Athletic.
Ghoochannejhad, top scorer in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, left London on Tuesday to join his KSC team-mates in Egypt, where they are preparing for their 2014 AFC Cup quarter-final clash against Indonesia's Persipura Jayapura.
"It was Reza's decision to leave," head coach Bob Peeters told Charlton Athletic's official website.
"He told us that, after the World Cup, he wanted to go to another country and that was Kuwait. If a player wants to leave then it makes it difficult because their mind is already weak from wanting a transfer.
"That is why we made the decision to allow Reza to leave."
Ghoochannejhad, who took his international scoring tally to 11 in 17 games when he scored Iran's consolation in the 3-1 loss to Bosnia & Herzegovina in their final match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, signed a two-and-half year contract with Charlton in January to become the second Iranian to play for the club following Karim Bagheri.
The Mashad-born striker, nicknamed Gucci, moved to the Netherlands at the age of four and it was in Holland where his attacking talents were honed, first at Heerenveen, then Go Ahead Eagles and then Cambur, where he scored just nine seconds into his debut match against BV Veendam to equal the Dutch record set by the legendary Johann Cruyff.
The former Netherlands youth international then moved to neighbouring Belgium and had spells with Sint Truiden and Standard Liege prior to signing with Charlton.
Photo: AFP