Fulham should beat Crystal Palace to sign Ozan Tufan from Fenerbahce
According to Football London, Crystal Palace and Fulham are interested in signing Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan.
The 23-year-old midfielder moved to Fenerbahce from Bursaspor back in 2015 and has made a total of 56 appearances for the Turkish giants, scoring six goals. However, he has fallen out of favour at his current club due to some new recruits.
Tufan has represented Turkey at all youth levels and has 31 international caps for the senior team. He was a part of the Turkish squad that participated in the 2016 Euro Cup.
Blessed with a sound technique, Ozan Tufan is one of the most versatile young talents in Turkey and can play in a number of roles in the midfield. Primarily a holding midfielder by trade, the 23-year-old has the ability to fill in the role of a box-to-box midfielder and can also play at right-back and on the right-wing.
Standing at just a shade over 6ft, Tufan is not the most physically dominating central midfielder but he makes up for his lack of physicality with his superior game-reading ability and tactical awareness. He contributes equally to both the attack and the defence and excels with his work rate in the central areas of the park.
Tufan is comfortable with the ball at his feet and excels with his neat passing and excellent distribution skills. Although he is not the tallest man on the pitch, he is a good reader of aerial balls and times his jumps to perfection to beat the opposition in the air.
The Turkish international is particularly nimble-footed for a central midfielder which also allows him to play as a winger down the right. Operating as a winger, he links the play with short passes and spots the runs of his teammates from the wide areas.
The 23-year-old averaged 2 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and 1.6 shots per game last term in the Turkish top-flight. Furthermore, he is a good shooter from outside the penalty area and has the ability to find the top corner with curling right-footed efforts.
As things stand, he would be a good addition for both Fulham and Crystal Palace. The Eagles have Max Meyer, who is a tactically versatile creative midfielder but Fulham are in dire need of a creative box-to-box midfielder who can contribute equally on both ends of the pitch.
Stefan Johansen and Kevin McDonald have been poor this season. Even though they have contributed to the defence at times, their contribution to the attack has been minimal. Jean Michael Seri came in with a huge reputation and produced a few good performances but the Ivorian’s impact has faded away.
The Cottagers must avoid the drop despite spending heavily in the summer. Having conceded 28 goals so far, the Cottagers have the worst defensive record in the Premier League and the signs are ominous for Slavisa Jokanovic’s men.
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It is high time for Fulham to pursue their interest in this 23-year-old Turkish international as he has all the attributes to add substance and creativity to their midfield.
