Player Focus: The Metoric Rise of 20-year-old Bursaspor Midfielder Ozan Tufan

What do Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan all have in common? An interest in Ozan Tufan, according to his father.

The list of suitors can reportedly now be extended to Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. It suffices to say there has not been this much excitement in a player from the Süper Lig since Arda Turan.

Bursaspor boss Şenol Güneş has been working his magic developing players yet again this season. The former Turkish national team head coach is best known internationally for guiding the Crescent-Stars to third in the 2002 World Cup. Güneş’s World Cup exploits earned him cult status in Turkey but domestically he is also renowned for his ability to nurture talent. Take for example Burak Yılmaz. The 29-year-old was an underperforming winger until the former Trabzonspor manager transformed him into the league’s most prolific striker.

Güneş has a knack for finding a player’s strongest position. Tufan was playing as a right-back when the former teacher took charge. The 20-year-old now rotates between defensive and attacking midfield roles. The industrious midfielder averages 2.2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per-game but is equally comfortable going forwards. Tufan is an accomplished passer of the ball averaging 40 a game (third highest in the team) at 81% accuracy. The young midfielder also has an eye for spotting forward runs and averages 1.2 key passes per appearance. Only Volkan Şen has provided more assists (8) than Tufan (6) for the Green Crocodiles this season.

Tufan was recently described by former Kasımpaşa manager Shota Arveladze as the next Paul Pogba. "Ozan Tufan is a huge talent, he is the next Paul Pogba, they are similar players in terms of their position and it is not surprising at all that some of the biggest clubs in Europe are chasing him," he said. It is, however, probably a little early to start getting too carried away. Tufan by self-admission is not the finished article just yet.

The young midfielder received his first senior callup to the Turkish national team aged just 19. It must have felt like it was written in the stars when he scored on his debut against Denmark in an international friendly but he soon came crashing back to earth. Tufan featured in the 4-0 mauling Brazil inflicted on Turkey back in November. The youngster did however, show maturity in his self-assessment of what went wrong, "I have flaws, I am not perfect, I need to improve in the air, I must become more agile, stronger and faster,” he said. Tufan is not exactly the tallest player standing at 1.79m and wins on average just 0.7 aerial duels per game. He is however, well built and has a physical side to his game that still has room for improvement.

Süper Lig players have rarely made an impact abroad; Nihat Kahveci was a trailblazer in La Liga during the 2000’s, whilst Arda Turan became the first Turkish international to win La Liga title with Atletico Madrid last season and Salih Uçan earned a high profile move to Roma in the summer, but few others succeed. Tufan may not be a polished diamond just yet but considering he has gone from total obscurity to being linked with European giants within a single season it is no surprise that a few clubs could be willing to take a gamble on him.

Tufan only turned 20 this year and another season with his experienced manager could work in his favour. At Bursaspor, Tufan is a first-team player, a star and the club are on the verge of completing a brand new 45,000-seater stadium – the Crocodile Arena (Timsah Arena). The Crocodiles took a while to settle under Güneş but he currently has them playing some of the most aesthetically pleasing football in the league. No other side has scored more goals than Bursaspor this season (52). Tufan has three goals himself and has helped play a role in his side breaking into the top four. The 2009/10 champions could end up securing a European place and being genuine title contenders next season with Tufan at the centre of it should he stay.

Süper Lig giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were involved in a transfer war over the 20-year-old in January but neither were able to prize him away. Güneş believes Tufan should only consider leaving the club if it is for a move abroad. "In my opinion if Ozan is to leave he needs to join Chelsea, Barcelona or Real Madrid, that has to be his aim, if he really is one of our brightest prospects that should be his goal and I do believe he has what it takes to reach those levels," he said. Tufan seems to have taken his teachers wise words on board, “my dream is to play for Liverpool.” Ambitious to say they least, but it looks like this exciting young talent may indeed fulfil those ambitions.

 

Do you think Ozan Tufan has what it takes to reach the top? Let us know in the comments below