Burnley Opinion: Clarets should sign Guven Yalcin in the summer
According to claims from Turkish source Takvim, Burnley are interested in signing Besiktas starlet Guven Yalcin in the summer.
Takvim reports that the Clarets would need to fend off competition from Bundesliga clubs Freiburg and Wolfsburg if they are to land the promising 20-year-old Turk at the end of the season.
Yalcin spent time youth career at Bayer Leverkusen before joining Besiktas last summer and the youngster has made an instant impact in the Turkish Super Lig, shining on the left-hand side of Senol Gunes’ attack.
The German-Turk prodigy has scored 5 times in 18 league outings for Besiktas and has emerged as one of the breakout stars in the top flight, with a hat-trick in a recent 7-0 drubbing of Rizespor being the highlight of his career in Turkey so far.
The Dusseldorf-born left-winger represented Turkey at the U17 level, switched his allegiance to Germany at the U19s and then returned to action for Turkey at the U20 level.
Yalcin is not amongst the elite list of emerging young talents across the continent but he has certainly showcased his ability to deliver the goods at the senior level.
The news of Yalcin’s links to Turf Moor comes just a couple of days after the Daily Star reported that breakout star Dwight McNeil was on the radar of Newcastle United, Arsenal and Man City.
McNeil has played a key role for Sean Dyche’s side on the left side of the attack and Burnley would undoubtedly find it difficult to replace him if he decides to leave for a bigger club.
The Clarets currently have Robbie Brady as a like-for-like replacement for McNeil, while Aaron Lennon and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are also viable options. Ashley Barnes and Matej Vydra can also fill in on the left but Dyche has preferred Barnes up front, while Vydra has hardly played a significant role this season.
Given that Lennon has struggled for form and fitness and Brady hasn’t been able to nail down a first-team place, the Clarets should look to add depth and quality in a key area.
To put things into perspective, Yalcin might be a good choice for Burnley given that he has not only enjoyed a breakout season in Turkey but has attracted interest from German clubs as well. His performances in the Super Lig hardly guarantees success in England but the Clarets might have a gem in their hands if the youngster lives up to his potential in the Premier League.
Yalcin is at his best when deployed as an inverted winger down the left, which allows him to use his stronger right foot to cut inside from the flanks.
Blessed with good pace and quick feet, the 20-year-old not only excels at beating defenders with his trickery and acceleration but he is also equally adept at holding on to the ball with his back to goal. Work ethic is another feature of his game and the Turk often tracks back to help out his defenders.
The Turk has the ability to bring any attack to life with his flair, youthful exuberance and wonderful crossing, while also exploiting the gaps in the opposition’s defence with some good movement off the ball. Furthermore, he is a very good distance shooter who has a penchant for scoring goals from outside the box.
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Burnley have done well to preserve their Premier League status this season but they should aim for bigger things next season.
Guven Yalcin is little known but he is exactly the kind of player that the Clarets should look for in the transfer window. He is young and promising and has a good resale value, which would enable Burnley to cash in on him should he fail to deliver the goods.