According to the Turkish outlet Aksam, many clubs from Europe including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Atletico Madrid, and others are interested in signing Kerem Akturkoglu from Galatasaray. The 23-year-old forward has a contract expiring in June 2026. The Turkish club has already rejected a €15million bid from the German club Wolfsburg.
Galatasaray expects to get at least €20million from Akturkoglu’s sale. Arsenal has already expressed their interest in a number of wingers and expects to sign at least one in the summer. The Gunners have done extremely well considering their performances in the last two years. They are on the verge of returning to the Champions League after five long years.
The 23-year-old winger has played an important in what has turned out to be a very disappointing season for Galatasary. The club usually has shouts for winning the league for many years. However, they currently find themselves 15th in the league with only four games to go. Barcelona also recently knocked out Galatasary from the Europa League at the Nef Stadium.
Despite this disappointing season from Galatasaray, Kerem Akturkoglu has featured 44 times and scored 11, and also assisted 9 in all competitions. The interest from such big European clubs shows how impressive he has been this season. He also has an affordable price set as it won’t be much of a hassle for all the big clubs.
Why does Arsenal want to sign Kerem Akturkoglu?
The Turkish forward is comfortable playing at either flank but he mostly starts on the left. Akturkoglu is very strong at dribbling and taking shots from distance. He has been a major source of chance creation for Galatasaray this season. He also likes to cut inside which also the fullback on his side to overlap. Moreover, he also likes the ball at his feet and also prefers to dribble to attract defenders.
Kerem Akturkoglu takes 2 shots per game while also completing 1.3 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per game (stats via whoscored). Arsenal can use this creative ability from the left-hand side as they are still unclear whether to start Martinelli or Smith Rowe. Both the players have been immensely helped their club this season but perhaps another player starting on the left could improve their situation.
Signing a winger will also help Arsenal in improving their squad depth. This will be Arsenal’s primary target as they will be competing in all the big competitions next season. Arsenal has to sign a center forward and a winger to support him will also be a great addition to the squad. Emile-Smith Rowe can then also act as a backup to Odegaard rather than a backup to Martinelli.
Arsenal is the favorite to play in the Champions League next season. They are currently out of all the competitions and only have the Premier League to focus on. However, that won’t be the case next season and will need the necessary depth to win games at weekends and also on weekdays. That is why Kerem Akturkoglu is a new target for Arsenal as he is a decent and a very cheap option.
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