West Ham United are now being widely linked with a swoop for Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup.
A number of teams are chasing the star midfielder, who only has a year left to run on his current deal with the Turkish giants.
West Ham are in the hunt to sign him with Ozyakup’s former manager Slaven Bilic potentially holding the key to this move.
Ozyakup is reportedly keen to reunite with Bilic and the feeling is mutual.
But who is Oguzhan Ozyakup?
Here we look at this player’s profile and what he can offer West Ham United next season.
Pedigree
Oguzhan Ozyakup would arrive with plenty of pedigree.
Clubs are already lining up bids in the region of £13m for Ozyakup, whil he is valued at £10.2m by transfermarkt.com.
Roma, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on the central midfielder so some of Europe’s best clubs are interested in him.
At the young age of 24, he also has over 150 appearances for Besiktas under his belt, including Champions League and Europa League football, and 25 senior caps for the Turkey national squad.
Strengths and weaknesses
Oguzhan Ozyakup is an attack-minded ball-playing central midfielder.
The Turkey international’s strengths, according to WhoScored, include passing, dribbling, long shots, through balls, concentration and particularly key passes.
His weaknesses are aerial duels, finishing and tackling.
Last season, Ozyakup contributed with five goals and nine assists in thirty four games for Besiktas.
He has previously been described as similar to Zinedine Zidane because of his magical dribbling ability.
How would he fit into our system?
Oguzhan Ozyakup is criticised for his defensive work and his tackling.
This would mean that he would have to play as a slightly more advanced forward in our formation.
If Slaven Bilic opts for a 3-4-3 formation, it is difficult to see where he fits in unless he plays further forward than he is used to.
But if Bilic decides to go for a 4-3-3 formation, then Ozyakup could slot in ahead of a more defensive-minded duo consisting of Obiang, Nordtveit, Noble or Kouyate.
Do we need him?
The players that are perhaps most similar to Ozyakup – in terms of attack-minded midfielders – are Manuel Lanzini, Edimilson Fernandes and arguably Cheikhou Kouyate (if he is played further forward).
With Josh Cullen returning from a successful loan spell with Bradford, there may not be much space for Ozyakup.
The central midfield region at West Ham is packed at the moment so we would need to shift a couple of players to accommodate for Ozyakup.
Verdict
There is no doubt that Ozyakup would be a good option for any Premier League team if he can translate his form from the Turkish league to the English league.
While I do not want to tarnish all Turkish players with the Gokhan Tore brush, it is clear that there is a gap to be bridged.
Ozyakup is clearly a talented player but we have a lot of players in central midfield already. If some of those leave, then we should pursue a move for the 24-year-old.
If not, £13m is a steep price for a luxury player.
