Oguzhan Ozyakup is to move away from Besiktas and reportedly return to Arsenal, here is what he would bring to the squad.
Oguzhan Ozyakup left Arsenal in the summer of 2012 to join Turkish side Besiktas. The 24-year-old rose through the youth ranks of AZ Alkmaar before he joined Arsenal’s youth setup.
He was part of the generation that gave us Jack Wilshere but Ozyakup was sold out in favour compared to the Englishman for whom the club had great expectations.
By the end of this summer, we could see a change that brings Ozyakup back to Arsenal with Wilshere leaving in order to make room for his Turkish counterpart.
Besiktas appointed Oguzhan Ozyakup, now 24, as their team captain and the player returned the faith put in him by leading the club to two consecutive titles in Turkey Super Lig. He made a total of 40 appearances this season and added five goals and 10 assists to his account.
Strengths
Oguzhan is very gifted player technically and when deployed as an attacking midfielder, Besiktas look very dangerous going forward.
His movement is excellent and he attacks the space between the defensive lines brilliantly. His passing and movement often dictate the tempo of Besiktas’ play and the midfielder is a great influence on the whole team.
Ozyakup’s influence on the attack is best seen by his number of created chances and key passes. Per-game, Ozyakup makes 1.5 key passes and creates 1.72 scoring chances. His passing success rate is a decent 85% and the player attempts an average of 57.1 passes per-game.
He can be deployed in all central midfield positions, but he performs best when given enough freedom to go forward.
Weaknesses
Defensive contributions from the player leave much to be desired. Ozyakup is primarily an attacking midfielder and he isn’t used to tracking his players back too far and can often put his defence under pressure. A considerable change of attitude and approach should be made if he wants to become one of the great midfielders in Europe.
A possible reason for his lack of defensive effort and poor tackling could be his physical strength. Even though he isn’t short (180cm) and has decent weight (75kg), he does lack muscle mass.
Aerial duels are directly linked to his lack of physical strength and the player wins less than half of his duels in the air (46.67%).
Potential at Arsenal
If Oguzhan Ozyakup does rejoin Arsenal, he will need to put in significant work to increase his physical strength if he doesn’t want to be pushed around in the Premier League.
Additional work will be needed to adapt to a more defensive role and he will need to improve his tackling and interceptions.
If he were to be deployed in the squad behind Mesut Ozil, the lack of defensive work rate could be devastating for the rest of the team.
The potential move also comes at the right time for Ozyakup as the player needs a bigger challenge and looks to be ready to step up his game.
With the help of Arsene Wenger and surrounded by better players at Arsenal, Ozyakup could fulfil his full potential and become a one of the top playmakers in the Premier league.
Skills, passes, assists & goals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwcdq7MhrR0