Bayer Leverkusen’s Turkish midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu, has been linked with a move to Arsenal, but can he bring something to separate him from the rest of the players in his position?

Hakan Calhanoglu has been linked with a move to the Premier League as Chelsea and Arsenal have shown great interest in the player, Italian side Lazio are also reported to hold an interest.

Calhanoglu is tied to Bayer until 2019 and has a £32.5m release clause in his contract and the price wouldn’t represent any problem for the Premier League duo.

The Turkey international made 22 appearances for Leverkusen last season, scoring seven and assisting seven in the process.

Strengths

The 23-year-old is a very versatile midfielder who can be deployed almost anywhere in midfield or attack, from left wing to right, from central to attacking midfielder, even as a second striker. His tactical understanding of each role on the pitch is remarkable and there aren’t many players like him.

His powerful and precise shots are one of his main assests, as the player often tests the opposing goalkeeper with efforts from range. His set-piece skills are also great and he can deliver the ball very precisely to any part of the pitch.

Calhanoglu also has an eye for setting up his teammates as the player made 29 chances and 24 key passes in 15 Bundesliga appearances. Unfortunately, only five of those chances were converted.

His ability to dribble and hold onto the ball is also strong as the player moves past hiss opponents with ease.

Next, Calhanoglu’s weaknesses

Weaknesses

His weaknesses lie in a lack of physical strength and little aerial ability as he loses more than a half of all his duels. If he were to join a Premier League team, that could be considered a major weakness and the player would need to build up more muscle mass.

Since he is a player who is best used when going forward, there are certain problems for him when forced to defend, but nothing too major that couldn’t be solved by making a bit more effort on the training pitch.

Next, Calhanoglu’s potential at Arsenal

Potential at Arsenal

Hakan Calhanoglu is a very exciting prospect and has plenty of room to better himself as a player. He is one of the best playmakers in the Bundesliga and it’s hard to find a more versatile player than him.

At Arsenal, he would need a player like Coquelin to play alongside him in midfield to provide enough support when he goes on a forward run.

Other than that, he could fit very well to the current squad and would most likely flourish being surrounded by the likes of Ozil, Alexis and Giroud, who could make the most of his abilities to pick a pass and create chances.

The 23-year-old could develop into one of the top playmakers in the Premier League, but as with everyone else, a certain period of adjustment to the physical demands of the Premier League would be required.

Next, Calhanoglu’s free kicks

Calhanoglu’s free kicks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIQxv1NLCOw

Next, Calhanoglu’s dribbling skills and goals

Calhanoglu’s dribbling skills and goals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR3m2y37oT8