Enes Ünal became the youngest Süper Lig player to join the Premier League this summer – he also became the first Turkish intentional to join Manchester City.
The eighteen-year old marks a new generation of Turkish talent starting to make waves outside of the country. Fellow former Bursaspor youngster 19-year-old Batuhan Altıntaş joined HSV this summer while Salih Uçan recently was snapped up by Roma.
There is a trend of Turkey players starting the catch the eye of some of European footballs major clubs so we thought we would have a look at three other young guns that could end up in the Premier League in the near future.
1. Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Hakan Çalhanoğlu is not just a huge talent as far as Turkish football is concerned he is quite simply one of the brightest prospects in world football. The attacking midfielder is one of many Turkish international players born in Turkey. The 21-year-old was eligible to represent both Germany and Turkey at senior level but opted for the Crescent-Stars. Çalhanoğlu is regarded as being one of the best set-piece specialists around. Even Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has been singing his praises: “Çalhanoğlu is one of the best free-kick takers in the Bundesliga.” The young playmaker actually had the highest number of free-kick goals in the top five leagues in Europe last season – Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1. Çalhanoğlu has more to his game that set-pieces. The youngster has wonderful technique, an impressive passing range and a lethal shot. The 21-year-old has already attracted the interest of Arsenal and this time next season it would not be a surprise for his suitors to be lining up to woo him from Bayer.
