Kerem Akturkoglu open to Arsenal move

Transfer boost for Arsenal as Turkish star Kerem Akturkoglu is open to moving to the Emirates.

According to Tribal Football, the agent of Turkish star Kerem Akturkoglu has revealed that his client is open to moving to Arsenal soon.

The 24-year-old is a familiar face in the Turkish Super Lig and continues to go from strength to strength for Galatasaray. He has been with the club since 2020 and has amassed 93 appearances across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and assisting 17 more.

Primarily a left-winger, Akturkoglu is capable of playing anywhere along the frontline and also as a number 10 if needed. While Arsenal have several players impressing upfront, the addition of a versatile utility man will certainly aid in Mikel Arteta’s squad management.

The Spaniard’s rebuild at the Emirates is in full flow as the Gunners lead the Premier League standings after 12 games played. While there is still a long way to go, Arsenal have started the season brightly and could push on if they make the right moves in the coming months.

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Dr Erkut Sogut, the man who manages Akturkoglu and was earlier associated with Mesut Ozil has stated in no uncertain terms that he would recommend Arsenal to his client. Whether this is him garnering interest in the player’s services or alerting Arsenal to his availability remains to be seen.

Sogut name-dropped Arteta’s prowess as a manager who can improve youth as an attractive proposition. The 40-year-old still has much to prove but is making his peers sit up and take notice of his exploits this season.

“As a coach right now you’d want to send young players to Arteta to develop because he always plays young players.”

The Gunners, as an institution, is famed for promoting youth and giving talent a chance. Under Arteta, that identity appears to have been restored and could prove useful in their pursuit of Akturkoglu.

“Arsenal have that culture of taking players from their own youth (system) and bringing them up, which is unique – not many teams do that. So you always want a player to go to Arsenal and play and develop, especially as a young player.”

The 24-year-old is a full international for Turkey and has a contract with Galatasaray until 2026. Despite much promise, there is still much for the player to iron out before he can make an impact in a top European league.

Arsenal could do with an addition or two in January to aid them for the final push in the campaign. However, whether Aketurkoglu can be that man is debatable. As things stand, it is the player who needs the Gunners more, rather than the other way around.