Turkish winger Akturkoglu will spark competition between North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham this summer. Both Arsenal and Tottenham will be looking for attacking players during the summer transfer window and have identified the 23-year-old as potential targets as his performances in Galatasaray have been impressive. Akturkoglu can play as a left winger. He can play on the left wing 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.
Akturkoglu is a product of the Basaksehir Youth Academy. Prior to joining Galatasaray in 2020, he played for Bodrum, Karajabey and El Kinkanspur. He made his professional debut for the club in a league match against Kayseri Sport in November 2020. Akturkoglu, who is deployed on the left wing, has a unique ability to easily swing past defenders and use his left and right feet flexibly. He can cross after forming a breakthrough on the flank or cut in from the inside of the wing and choose to pass or shoot. He's only 173cm, so he has a low center of gravity and is absolutely fast when dribbling.
While this may be an unfair comparison, when he dribbles quickly, it's reminiscent of the young Messi. In the 2021-22 season, he scored 11 goals and assisted seven times in all competitions. According to Turkish media reports, there are many clubs interested in signing Akturkoglu. Arsenal and Tottenham are the two clubs that have shown interest in the last two. But before that, Lyon, Atletico Madrid and Wolfsburg were all listed as potential destinations. During the January transfer window, Wolfsburg bid about €14 million for the winger, but Galatasaray refused and will insist on asking for €20 million in the summer.