Beşiktaş star Oğuzhan Özakup may be flying high in Turkey right now but he has not forgot his Arsenal roots and recently sung the praises of his former teammates.

Two players in particular stood out for Özyakup – neither actually play for Arsenal anymore – Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie.

Özyakup revealed that Fabregas in particular is a role model of his as he was also a player who moved to other countries at a young age just as he did.

“We both moved abroad at a very young age and of course playing in similar positions I learned a lot from him so he is a player I look up to,” Özyakup was quoted as saying in the Milliyet.

Fabregas currently plays for Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea while Van Persie joined Turkish giants Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal over the summer.

Özyakup joined Beşiktaş from Arsenal in 2012 for a fee of €500,000. The Turkish international star was part of the Arsenal Under-18s side that won the Premier Academy League title in 2009.

The 23-year-old has four goals and six assists in all competitions for the Black Eagles this season.

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