Efe Akman: At Galatasaray in Papa Ayhan’s footsteps

Talent calendar

The name Akman generally evokes positive memories for Galatasaray fans. Ayhan Akman wore the Istanbul jersey from 2001 to 2012, became champions four times, was part of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2001/02 and played a total of 328 times for the club. Eleven years after the current Galatasaray director ended his career, his son Efe Akman is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps.

The 17-year-old is currently considered the reigning Turkish champions’ greatest talent – even though he has not yet played a single competitive game for the professionals. Nevertheless, he drew attention to himself both in the club’s youth sector and in test matches. Akman has long been compared to what is probably Turkey’s hottest stock at the moment: Arda Güler. The 18-year-old moved from his training club Fenerbahce to Real Madrid in the summer – cost: 20 million euros plus another 10 million euros in bonuses.

Galatasaray-affiliated journalist Nevzat Dindar is certain that Akman has the potential to one day eclipse Güler’s transfer fee. In June he claimed on the Twitter platform (now X) that Akman would leave the record champions for at least 50 million euros. He would have two or three times as much talent as Güler. “The comparison is of course completely flawed because Güler is much further along and made his professional debut at the age of 16. “Nevertheless, Akman has a lot of potential and it is not out of the question if he establishes himself in the first team that he can move for a lot of money,” says Sinan Yener, editor at Transfermarkt Turkey.

In fact, the midfield talent, who is captain of the Turkish U18 national team, could sooner or later move abroad – more precisely to Italy, where, according to reports, AS Roma secured a right of first refusal for Akman when selling Nicolò Zaniolo to Galatasaray in February 2023 as well as teammate and ex-Rapid pupil Yusuf Demir. As a look at the TM database shows, So far, five Turks have played for the Romans. Zeki Çelik is currently part of the squad.

If Akman’s father Ayhan stayed exclusively in Turkey and predominantly at Galatasaray during his career, the son could take a different path. And then there is Hamza Akman. He is two years older than his brother Efe and is also part of the professional squad at the top Istanbul club. In contrast to Efe, Hamza has already completed two short appearances in the first team, but he has not yet played an important role in coach Okan Buruk’s team.

“Hamza looks more like a classic midfielder. Because of this, he may not have many characteristics that could distinguish him from others in his position. Things look different with Efe. He has several qualities and is versatile. “That fundamentally distinguishes him from his brother,” says expert Yener.

The youngest Akman, who was only used in the U19 this season (including five appearances in the Youth League), can play both as a “six” or an “eighth”. “He has very good ball control and appears brave when he has the ball. Nevertheless, he acts calmly, especially in tight spaces, and impresses with his overview. He is strong at dribbling and can use both feet. This helps him to get out of tricky situations. He can make the difference with the way he plays.” However, Akman still needs to improve physically. “Sometimes he is inferior to his opponents in duels,” says Yener. The right-footed player could also improve in terms of goal threat.

Every day from December 1st to 24th, Transfermarkt will present a talent from the 2006 or 2007 vintage from a different country. Sponsors, data scouts and users act as experts and report interesting facts about 24 young players in our talent calendar who you should keep a close eye on in the future. For example with the TM Watchlist.

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