Arsenal have reportedly reignited their interest in Oguzhan Ozyakup and have sent scouts to monitor the Besiktas midfielder in action.
According to Turkish Football, Arsenal have reignited their interest in Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup. The Turkish star has been on the radar of the Gunners for a considerable period now and it seems Arsene Wenger has sent scouts to watch the player in action and monitor his performances.
Oguzhan Ozyakup could turn out to be another brilliant Pogba-esque story for the Premier League. The midfielder joined Arsenal from AZ Alkmaar in 2008 and spent 4 years as a part of the club before moving to Besiktas in search of first-team football. And it is at Besiktas where his talent has taken centre-stage.
The 25-year-old has since made a whopping 190 senior appearances for the Turkish giants and has become a vital cog in their first-team setup. Also, his performances have helped him become a regular for the Turkish National Team as well, with 30 appearances under his belt.
Arsene Wenger has seen his central midfield troubles compounded over the last couple of years. The Gunners have been worn thin in the centre of the park and the injury to Santi Cazorla hasn’t certainly helped the cause either. Granit Xhaka was brought to defuse the situation to an extent but the Swiss international is yet to show consistency.
Jack Wilshere is slowly coming back to fitness and his old form while Aaron Ramsey has also showed signs of a renaissance. But, the need for a holding midfielder in the squad is nigh. And while Ozyakup is not a pure holding midfielder, the trade-off for playing the Turkish in the role compared to Xhaka is massively positive.
The 25-year-old is much better in terms of discipline and creativity while he is statistically only slightly inferior to Xhaka when it comes to the defensive aspect of the game. Discipline though, could be the biggest factor as suspensions and early showers have often seen Arsenal dwindling in certain games.
Also, with the new three-man defence, there is unlikely to be much pressure on Ozyakup to perform his defensive duties. Alternatively, the Turkish midfielder could also turn out to be the replacement for Mesut Ozil, who is yet to sign an extension and has been linked with a controversial move to Manchester United.
Indeed, Ozyakup’s arrival will provide Wenger with much more depth and added creativity in the middle of the park. The player has entered the final year of his Besiktas deal and will be eligible to negotiate with Arsenal come January.
The Super Lig club though, have placed a £20 million price tag on the player, which means Arsene Wenger will have to stump up the mentioned amount if he wants to land the player in January itself.
The report does mention that Ozyakup is close to signing a new deal with Besiktas, which would see Arsenal restricted to just one option – to pay the designated price tag in order to sign the player. It will not be an easy thing to do, considering the Gunners had let Ozyakup go for a measly £500,000.
