Arsenal have been closely linked with a move for Turkey international star defender Caglar Soyuncu.
The Freiburg star has himself confirmed interest from the North London based outfit and announced he is set for talks after the international break after the international break as reported by Turkish-Football.
The Bundesliga outfit have set a £35 million valuation for the star defender.
The 22-year-old started his third successive game for Turkey over the international break against Russia.
Soyuncu starred in the 2-1 win over Iran and scored his first international goal in the 2-2 draw against Tunisia, putting on stellar displays in both games.
Turkey held Russia to a 1-1 draw in what was perhaps their toughest opponent of the three sides faced.
The young defender started as left centre-back again alongside Kaan Ayhan.
What becomes immediately clear watching Soyuncu is how mobile and quick he is. The defender uses this to great effect in closing down, making interceptions and making bursting runs after dispossessing opponents.
The problem is that sometimes he over commits which leads to mistakes. It comes down to experience and something he should resolve with time.
Soyuncu made important tackles, clearances and passed the ball out of defence well except for one critical mistake.
The defender misplaced a pass after Samedov put pressure on him close to the corner-flag.
The ball found a Russia player who setup Samedov for the opener.
Caglar Soyuncu’s mistake gift Russia the lead vs Turkey pic.twitter.com/dMASTzJLSD
— Osman (@OsmanZtheGooner) June 5, 2018
Soyuncu did respond well, the centre-back is a natural leader and had a commanding presence at the back.
See More: 3 Reasons £35m Arsenal Target Caglar Soyuncu Would Be A Success At The Emirates
The modern defender requires more than just a bruiser. Soyuncu has an impressive passing range and his bursting runs from deep helped launch several attacks.
Turkey were disjointed and lacked synergy in the first-half. Defensive midfielder Mahmut Tekdemir did not cover the back four and Irfan Can Kahveci struggled to get a foothold. The midfield was overrun by Russia leaving the Soyuncu and Ayhan exposed.
Mircea Lucescu brought on Oguzhan Ozyakup and Mehmet Topal in the second-half.
The results were immediate, Turkey took charge of midfield. Topal and Yokuslu provided defensive cover.
Soyuncu helped control possession and spot passes from deep when Turkey had Russia boxed in for large sways of the second period.
The defender’s pace also allowed him to track back and intercept counter-attacking moves.
Soyuncu’s blunder cost Turkey the goal but it was otherwise another impressive display. The rising star has areas of his game he needs to work on there is no denying his potential. The former Altinordu man is ready for the next step up and in the right hands, with a bit of polishing it would not surprise me to see him rise to the highest level over the next few seasons.
