Shani Tarashaj

Shani Tarashaj (born 7 February 1995) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward and is currently a free agent.[2] He was a member of the Swiss squad at UEFA Euro 2016.

Shani Tarashaj

Personal information
Full name	Shani Tarashaj[1]
Date of birth	7 February 1995
Place of birth	Hausen am Albis, Switzerland
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
2008–2014	Grasshoppers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Grasshoppers	37	(9)
2016–2020	Everton	0	(0)
2016	→ Grasshoppers (loan)	15	(3)
2016–2017	→ Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)	15	(1)
2018–2019	→ Grasshoppers (loan)	9	(0)
2019–2020	→ FC Emmen (loan)	0	(0)
National team^‡
2011–2012	Switzerland U17	10	(6)
2012	Switzerland U18	3	(3)
2013–2014	Switzerland U19	7	(7)
2014–2016	Switzerland U21	8	(5)
2016–	Switzerland	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:54, 5 May 2019 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:34, 1 July 2017 (UTC)

Background

Tarashaj's Albanian family emigrated from Prizren, Kosovo, formerly in Yugoslavia, in 1984.[3]

Club career

Tarashaj was born in Hausen am Albis, Switzerland. He grew up in youth teams of Grasshopper Club Zürich.[4] Tarashaj made his Swiss Super League debut on 2 August 2014, coming on as a substitute for Alexander Merkel in a 0–0 draw against FC Sion.[5] Tarashaj started 2015–16 by scoring 5 goals in his first 4 games, including two braces against FC Zurich and FC Lugano. His contract with Grasshopper was renewed, extended to 2019.

On 7 January 2016, Tarashaj joined English club Everton on a ​4 ¹⁄₂-year deal. He was loaned back to Grasshopper, until the end of the season so that he could complete his national service.[6] He was loaned to German club Eintracht Frankfurt for the 2016–17 season.[7]

On 19 July 2018, Tarashaj returned to Grasshopper on a season-long loan deal with an option to make the deal permanent.[8]

Tarashaj moved to FC Emmen for a 2-season loan deal in July 2019.[9] His loan spell was cancelled in October 2020 and on his return, he was released by Everton.[10]

International career

Tarashaj played for Switzerland's age-group teams, starting in 2011. Though he was sought by Albania, for whom he was also eligible to play,[11] he made his debut for the senior Swiss team on 25 March 2016.[12] He was selected for the Switzerland squad in UEFA Euro 2016,[13] but only made a single appearance, coming on as a late substitute against Romania.

Career statistics

As of 6 May 2016

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grasshopper Club Zürich	2014–15[14]	Swiss Super League	19	1	1	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	24	2
	2015–16[15]		18	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	8
	2015–16 (loan)[15]		15	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	3
	Total		52	12	2	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	58	13
Everton	2016–17[16]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			52	12	2	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	58	13

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
2. "Switzerland – S. Tarashaj – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
3. Kilchenstein, Thomas (19 October 2016). "Eine Chance für Shani". Frankfurter Rundschau. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
4. "Als kleiner Bub verehrte GCs Shani Tarashaj Ronaldo". 8 August 2015.
5. "Grasshoppers vs. FC Sion – 2 August 2014 – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
6. "Everton sign Swiss midfielder Tarashaj". BBC Sport. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
7. "Tarashaj loaned to Frankfurt". Everton F.C. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
8. "GC VERPFLICHTET TARASHAJ" (in German). Grasshopper Club Zürich. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
9. "FC Emmen rents five-time Swiss international Tarashaj from Everton | tellerreport.com". www.tellerreport.com. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
10. "TARASHAJ LEAVES EVERTON". Everton F.C. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
11. "De Biasi: Manaj, Tarashaj dhe Kamberi, e ardhmja e Shqipërisë – Telegrafi". 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015.
12. "International debut shows Everton stole a march on rivals for Shani Tarashaj". Liverpool Echo. 31 March 2016.
13. "Liste des joueurs UEFA EURO 2016 FRANCE" (PDF). football.ch. Swiss Football Association. 30 May 2016.
14. "Games played by Shani Tarashaj in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
15. "Games played by Shani Tarashaj in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
16. "Games played by Shani Tarashaj in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2016.