“I have a soft spot for Arsenal,” says 21yo rising star

Emin Bayram, the 21-year-old defender currently plying his trade at Westerlo in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League, has made no secret of his admiration for Arsenal, a club he describes as holding a special place in his footballing heart.

Speaking about his ambitions and inspirations, Bayram revealed his affection for the Premier League and singled out Arsenal as a team he particularly admires.

"Dries Mertens is like a father to me”
He made his debut at Galatasaray at the age of 16, shared the dressing room with Dries Mertens and Michy Batshuayi and moved from Istanbul to godbetert Hulshout. ” Everything to reach the top, " says Emin Bayram (21), Westerlo's central defender
Gazet van Antwerpen Stad en Rand14 Dec 2024
He sits stretched out on the sofa in the base Camp of Westerlo. Next to him is his buddy Dogucan Haspolat. To interpret if necessary. But Emin Bayram pulls his strings in English and turns out to be a smooth talker. "I owe everything to Galatasaray and was born a stone's throw from the stadium. At the age of 7, I had a coach in a smaller team who offered me to the Big Galatasaray. I was allowed to test and from one came the other. For me, there is only one club in Istanbul. The derbies against Fenerbahçe and Besiktas are played in an incredulous witch cauldron:

Ciro is " cute”

The club where Dries Mertens is experiencing the renaissance of his career. "Dries is a great guy. Even now I have a lot of contact with him, via Whatsapp or Instagram. He is like a father to me. I learned a lot from him. A real pro smart player too. In training, it was difficult to play against him. He knows so much about the game. He gave me tips on positional play. And his little son Ciro is so he is known throughout Turkey and very popular with the fans of Galatasaray.”

In the midseason, Michy Batshuayi, another (ex-)Red Devil, also arrived at the Turkish title defender. "I've only been his teammate for a month and never played against him.”

In december 2019, he debuted at Galatasaray in a cup match against a Turkish second-tier Tuzlaspor. "For me it was an unforgettable match. Less for the club, because we lost 0-2. It was a first dream come true. I was usually in the selection, but the real breakthrough remained out. Therefore, I was loaned to Boluspor. It was good for my development and I saw action in forty games.”

Vegetarian restaurants in Antwerp

His big dream: the Turkish national team. "For every Turkish footballer, that's the ultimate goal. I am also a fan of Real Madrid. The white shirt speaks. Although the Premier League is my favorite League and I also have a bean for Arsenal. But I also knew Westerlo when I was loaned to the club last season. I knew the club was in Turkish hands.”

From bustling Istanbul to the quiet Kempen: is there a bigger difference? "For my football career, everything comes first," says Bayram. “I have already discovered some Turkish restaurants in Antwerp.”

The defender also has nothing to complain about on a sporting level. "The best striker in the Jupiler Pro League? Vincent Janssen from Antwerp. An excellent footballer who uses his body well. I like to play against strong strikers and usually know what they are going to do."Those of Union have been warned.

Apostolos’ Tolis ' Konstantopoulos-in Greece, all men with the name Apostolos are usually abbreviated until Tolis was born in 2002 in the Greek city of Agrinio and lived there until he moved to Belgium. He started playing football there with local First-Class Panetolikos, where Beerschot picked him away 3.5 years ago. Meanwhile, he is one of the few holdovers from the previous relegation in 2022. A story of highs and lows for the Greek on the keel.

Back to last weekend's match against Anderlecht: your coach said that you definitely deserved a point.

"Fully agreed. If you ask me, we should have just turned the game to our liking in our good first half. The second half was more difficult for us, but all in all a point for both teams had been a fair result.”

A few weeks ago, you switched to a four-man defense system, with you as the right-back. Does that fit your way of playing?

“It's always good for a footballer to be able to play in multiple positions on the pitch. I mainly listen to what the coach asks me. If he wants to post Me Central, I play central. If he wants to play me off as an attacker, I even want to — Gazet van Antwerpen Stad en Rand 14 Dec 2024 “Dries Mertens is like a father to me” He made his debut at Galatasaray at the age of 16, shared the …

The central defender’s career trajectory has taken him from the bustling streets of Istanbul, where he grew up a stone’s throw from Galatasaray’s Nef Stadium, to Belgium’s quieter Kempen region.

A product of Galatasaray’s youth academy, Bayram’s formative years were spent learning the game at one of Turkey’s most iconic clubs.

ANTALYA, TURKEY - DECEMBER 13: Toma Basic of SS Lazio compete for the ball with Emin Bayram of Galatasary during the friendly match betwen Galatasaray v SS Lazio at the emir sport compòex on December 13, 2022 in Antalya, Turkey. (Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images) — Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images

However, it is the Premier League’s intensity, tactical demands, and global prestige that captivate him most. Arsenal’s style of football, and its ability to nurture young talent evidently resonate deeply with the Turkish defender.

“The Premier League is my favourite league, and I also have a soft spot for Arsenal,” Bayram said during an interview with Gazet van Antwerpen Stad en Rand.

Under contract until 2028 after arriving in Belgium this summer, Bayram is currently valued at around €5m (a fivefold increase over the past 12 months).

He has never, to our knowledge, been linked with a move to Arsenal.

Emin Bayram