We take a look at how Turkish players – including players of Turkish origin – did across Europe this week.
Enes Unal – Villarreal
Enes Unal joined Villarreal on a £12 million move from Manchester City over the summer. After scoring for his new club he was loaned mid-season to Levante who were in the midst of an injury crisis. Unal was finding playing time hard to come by as the new kid on the block with his former Bursaspor teammate Cedric Bakambu scoring for fun.
Unal ended up scoring and providing an assist at Levante before Villarreal brought him back.
Confused yet? hang on a minute, we are just beginning.
The Turkey international went onto become the first player to score for his parent club, loan club and parent club again in a single season.
He then set the same record only this time for assists and did so against Levante.
It was a lovely assist as well.
Unal is forging a place for himself at Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine temporarily broke into the top-four leapfrogging Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old now has three goals and three assists in all competitions this season.
See More: 3 Reasons Cenk Tosun Could End Up Being A Success At Everton
Mesut Ozil – Arsenal
Does Ozil have a sixth sense? is the playmaker of Turkish origin telepathic? these are all questions that were given serious thought after yet another tremendous display. This time Crystal Palace felt the brunt of the 2014 World Cup winners wizardry.
The Gunners could really do with more of this next season. It is imperative they get Ozil to sign a new deal.
Wilshere – Ozil – Lacazette. Masterclass #ARSCRY pic.twitter.com/JLjJVTIqLc
— Arsenal French Club (@FrenchAFC) January 20, 2018
Cenk Tosun – Everton
Cenk made his Goodison Park debut against West Brom. It was not a particularly memorable introduction. The Turkey international was left isolated up front. Sam Allardyce definitely needs to do a lot of work getting his new look attacking line-up to gel.
Emre Can – Liverpool
Emre Can became the Reds sixth different captain in six games but would probably rather forget it ever happened after being on the losing side against Swansea City. The midfielder of Turkish origin – and his teammates to be fair – were ripped by the fans and pundits after the game. It did not help that Can had the most unsuccessful touches for his side (3).
Hakan Calhanoglu – AC Milan
The playmaker maestro put on an impressive display in the 2-1 win over Genoa. Calhanoglu could easily have had an assist after creating five goal scoring opportunities. The Milan based giants have now won back to back games in the league. Could 2018 be the Rossoneri’s year?
Caglar Soyuncu – Freiburg
Caglar continues his Bundesliga rise. The 21-year-old is one of the most promising yet underrated players around as far as Turks abroad are concerned. The Turkish international has been a first-team starter at Freiburg for two seasons now.
The young defender put in another solid display displaying maturity beyond what would be expected from a player of his age as Freiburg beat Red Bull Leipzig 2-1 at home.