When Saman Ghoddos bid farewell to fans following Brentford's surprising victory over Manchester City last May, few could have predicted that the Iran international would reach a milestone of 100 appearances for the Bees just a few months later. Ghoddos hit that milestone back in December during a 1-0 loss to Sheffield United and has gotten started on his second set of 100 appearances with his club.
Ghoddos is one of the few members of the Iranian National Team who is currently making his living abroad and the only one in the Premier League. He’s about to wrap up his fourth season with the Bees and continues to set a shining example of an Iranian footballer on one of the biggest stages.
In his first season with the club, Ghoddos made 43 appearances for Brentford during the 2020-21 season. That was the year the Bees earned promotion to the Premier League. He’s also been a frequent contributor over the past three seasons, playing a role in Brentford staying in the Premier League and becoming a mainstay in arguably the world’s best league.
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Originally signed as a forward from French club Amiens in 2020, Ghoddos has predominantly played as a winger during his time in London. However, with the club suffering a slew of injuries this season, the Malmö-born player has filled in at full-back on both sides. It’s not the role that he was initially signed to fill, but Ghoddos is showing that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his team.
Despite his natural attacking instincts, Ghoddos's newfound versatility has been evident throughout the campaign. Among Premier League defenders, he’s become one of the most reliable tacklers alongside more familiar names like Arsenal's William Saliba and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa. With his quickness from years as an attacking player, Ghoddos has proven difficult for opposing players to dribble past, adding to his value in Brentford’s squad.
Of course, when given the opportunity, Ghoddos can still show his goal-scoring prowess. Back in October, the Iranian won Premier League Goal of the Month honors for a wonder strike against Burnley. While that’s been his only goal for the season, Ghoddos has found other ways to contribute to the Bees and contribute to the club.
Despite not being a lock for the starting 11, Ghoddos continues to be a valuable sub, in part because he can now be trusted to play multiple positions. Surely, his efforts at Brentford have not gone unnoticed. With the club still pushing to avoid the relegation zone, it’s players like Ghoddos who have been willing to play out of position and do the dirty work who will ultimately be responsible for helping the Bees stay in the Premier League next season. That will likely give the Iran National Team another season with at least one player in the world’s best league.