Merih Demiral – Sassuolo
If you have been following us you will know that we aren’t particularly surprised by how well Merih has been doing in the Serie A. The criminally underrated youngster has been going from strength to strength in at Sassuolo since joining in January. The 21-year-old was named Man of the Match in the goalless draw against Parma over the weekend. The 1.92m centre-back made more interceptions than any other player (3) and more clearances (4). He was completely dominant in the air winning all seven aerial duals he was involved in. He made 102 passes at 94 percent accuracy and even created a goal scoring chance.
Mehmet Zeki Celik – Lille
Zeki Celik is another player who was flying under the radar. The 22-year-old has gone from playing second-tier Turkish football at Istanbulspor to a first-team star for Lille. He was brilliant again for the French outfit who thrashed leaders PSG 5-1. It is looking increasingly likely that Lille will finish runners-up which would be an impressive achievement. Celik made more tackles than any other player (4) and only Jonathan Ikone created more chances (3).
❗️ Lille 5️⃣-1️⃣ PSG ❗️
Jose Fonte’s (!) bullet header has 10-man PSG reeling.
The former Saints man calls for the cross and hammers it home.
PSG’s lead is cut to 1️⃣7️⃣ points. pic.twitter.com/CYcs5qgZXj
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 14, 2019
Metehan Guclu
Guclu is the latest of a new wave of Turkish talent emerging across Europe. The 20-year-old rose through the PSG academy setup to make his debut for the French giants on Wednesday. The young Turk was brought on in the 74th minute and ended up scoring soon after. The Ligue 1 leaders ended up losing 3-2 away to Nantes but they may have won themselves a special talent in the process.
VİDEO ? | Türk oyuncu Metehan Güçlü, #PSG A takımı ile forma şansı bulduğu ilk karşılaşmada ilk resmi golünü atmayı başardı! @MetehanGuclu9 #FCNPSG pic.twitter.com/Cx3eIsxlh4
— Ligue 1 Türkçe (@Ligue1_Turkce) April 17, 2019
Ilkay Gundogan – Manchester City
Gundogan managed to pull off 125 passes at 92 percent accuracy. The midfielder of Turkish origin helped his side keep possession and dominate Crystal Palace in their 3-1 away win. At any other side he would be highly praised but with the level of quality so high at City his performances often go ignored.
Enes Unal – Valladolid
Unal has struggled for goals in 2019 but finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 2-2 draw against Getafe over the weekend. Part of the problem is that Valladolid are a defensively minded side who struggle to create chances. No other team has scored fewer goals in the league this term (26).
Hakan Calhanoglu – AC Milan
Calhanoglu continues to shine in Italy. The Turkey international’s form took a dip following personal problems he was having in his private life. He has since resolved his issues and is in a far better frame of mind. And it is showing on the pitch. AC Milan ended up beating Lazio 1-0 at the San Siro to remain in 4th place.
Cengiz Under – Roma
It was great to see Under return after missing the past few weeks with injury. He played the last 20 minutes in the 1-0 victory over Udinese.
