West Ham Opinion: Dorukhan Tokoz would be a better signing than Medel
According to claims from Turkish source Fanatik, Besiktas midfielder Gary Medel has been lined up by West Ham as a potential target in the summer.
The same report adds that the Hammers are plotting a double raid on the Turkish giants, with 22-year-old midfielder Dorukhan Tokoz also attracting interest from the east Londoners.
Tokoz, who is currently rated at £17 million, has impressed in the Super Lig for Besiktas this season since making his move from Eskisehirspor last summer.
The young midfield enforcer has contributed with 3 goals and 2 assists from 14 appearances in the league and his consistently impressive performances earned him a call-up to Turkey’s senior squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers during the most recent international break.
The twice-capped Turkish international has also earned plaudits for his versatility. Primarily a defensive midfielder by trade, Tokoz is also capable of playing in a box-to-box role and can fill in as a makeshift right-back.
Standing at 5ft.11 inches, he has just the perfect physique for a holding midfielder, combining his strength with his uncompromised work-rate to cover every blade of grass on the pitch and cut out the attacks.
Calm and comfortable in possession and adept at dictating the tempo of the game in the midfield, Tokoz often carries the ball forward with intent and produces intelligent key passes to create chances for his teammates.
A good reader of the game who is also blessed with an incredible eye for goal, the 22-year-old not only excels with his tackling and interception skills but he also likes to use his powerful right foot to test the goalkeeper from range.
To put things into perspective, Gary Medel and Dorukhan Tokoz are two players who are at different stages of their careers. While Medel, 31, is an established international for Chile, having won the Copa America twice his his nation, Tokoz, 22, can be regarded as a promising young prospect who is set to enter his prime years in the coming days.
Now, both are similar kinds of players, and frankly speaking, there is not a lot to choose between them, though stats show that the youngster has outperformed the veteran this season.
Tokoz has averaged 2.6 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game while Medel averages 2.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions. Medel, though, boasts of a better pass success rate of 89.4 as compared to Tokoz’s 77.7, which is quite natural given that the youngster is still honing his skills in the developmental phase of his career.
Medel has Premier League experience of playing for Cardiff City back in the 2013-14 season but one can get the feeling that the veteran would struggle to make an impact consistently at the highest level should a move to West Ham materialize.
Although he has enjoyed an illustrious and distinguished career playing for Sevilla and Inter Milan, the Chilean is nearing the final phase of his career at 31.
Tokoz, on the other hand, could be a good long-term investment and an upgrade on ageing club-captain Mark Noble in the longer run. Noble has had a decent run this season but West Ham need to find a better partner for star man Declan Rice in the midfield.
Jack Wilshere was brought in to increase competition for places but he has struggled to make an impact due to recurrent injuries, while Pedro Obiang looks likely to head for the exit door in the summer.
They have 32-year-old Carlos Sanchez who will be expected to make a return from injury next season but the Hammers should look to freshen up their midfield with some youthful exuberance.
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West Ham should be looking to challenge for a Europa League spot next season and investing in young and talented players should be the way forward for the Hammers. That said, Manuel Pellegrini should not hesitate to ditch his fellow countrymen in favour of striking a deal for the Turkish prodigy Dorukhan Tokoz.
