Both players’ time at Molineux have been impacted by serious injuries, which have hampered their progression, but they now head to Zurich with a chance to reinvigorate their careers.
Shabani suffered two severe ACL injuries which saw the 23-year-old spend several months on the sidelines having signed for the club from Bayern Munich back in 2019.
A promising start in gold and black was halted almost immediately when he suffered the first of his injuries just 10 minutes into his senior debut, a month after joining Wolves, as he was stretchered off the field in the League Cup win over Reading at Molineux.
Having fought back to fitness, the German youth international featured for the under-23s before a loan spell at VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands, but a reoccurrence of his injury led to more time in the treatment room at Compton Park.
Shabani returned once again during the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, where he was part of the development side which earned promotion into Premier League 2 Division 1.
Matt Jackson, Wolves’ strategic player marketing manager, said: “Meritan has had two very serious injuries while he’s been here, but he worked really well in his rehabilitation and he’s certainly now ready for a full season of senior football.
“We really like him as a person and as a footballer, and we have a duty of care to all players at the club to do everything we can to make sure they have the best possible future, so we felt it was a brilliant opportunity for him to develop his career at Grasshoppers, and once again cement the links between the two clubs.
“He has spent the last few weeks training over in Zurich as they returned before us because their league season starts early, and he’s had that two-week experience with the club, where he’s fitted in well with the squad, and impressed the coaching staff and the playing staff.
“He’s now well established as a player, so should be comfortable at the level he’s going into.”
Dadashov has been on a similar journey to Shabani during his Wolves career, with the 23-year-old also suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury just weeks after initially moving from Wolves to Grasshoppers on loan in August 2020.
Following his recovery, the Azerbaijan senior international spent the 2021/22 season on loan in the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Tondela, but despite his efforts, was unable to stop the club from relegation into the second-tier.
Alongside his close friend Shabani, Dadashov now makes the permanent switch to Zurich, which Jackson believes will be a positive switch for both the clubs and the striker.
“First and foremost, this move for Renat is a great footballing opportunity,” Jackson added. “There is striking similarities with Meritan, who he’s actually very close to as well.
“Both are native German speakers, which is great for the Grasshoppers culture and they are both great footballers in positions they are looking to fill.
“The loan last year was very much about recovering from his serious injury and proving that he’s fit to play – which he did. He made an impact over in Portugal, in what was a tough season for Tondela in their unfortunate relegation campaign. But from his perspective, he showed that he can play.
“He’s still young and developing, but he’s also established himself at international level for Azerbaijan, and we think there’s still lots of improvement still to come, which is something Grasshoppers will benefit from.
“On behalf of everyone at Wolves, I’d like to thank Meritan and Renat for their efforts in the three years they’ve been here. They have both been a pleasure to work with and we all hope they can go on to fulfil excellent careers in the game.”
