Arsene Wenger will not be too happy with the way things concluded in the recent season even as he helped Arsenal lift their 13th FA Cup title on the last day of the season. They are out of the Champions League and will find it hard to tempt the best players in Europe to the club this summer but one player who could be on his way to London is Turkish star Hakan Calhanoglu.
Born and brought up in Germany, Calhanoglu has represented Turkey in every domestic youth setup and has 26 senior appearances for the national side, all at the age of 23. He is wanted by Chelsea and Lazio and could cost over £30m in this inflated market but Arsene Wenger has seen something and is desperately scouting him for a move this summer.
Capable of playing as a central midfielder or as a left midfielder, Calhanoglu is an attacking midfielder by trait, whose biggest attraction is his ability to score screamers. The 23-year old regularly finds the back of the net from over 20 yards and is probably one of the best in his country in doing so.
Playing for Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, Calhanoglu has seven goals and seven assists to his name this season in just 22 senior appearances in all competitions. He has not been able to establish himself in the first team at the Bay Arena and with the club looking to shift managers, it is now looking likely that he will be up for sale this summer.
Arsenal have used Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in attack all season while Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott have helped in the attacking front. The new 3-4-3 system that Wenger has trusted late last season will make Calhanoglu only a squad player as the former La Liga duo is expected to be first choice next season.
Sanchez may yet leave the club and if he does, Wenger needs to look at someone more established than Calhanoglu to replace him. If the Chilean stays, it is hard to see the Frenchman spend £30m on a squad player.
However, if he does revert back to a 4-2-3-1 next season, he may be looking to use Sanchez on Ozil on the wings with Calhanoglu in a number 10 role, where he is at his most productive. This could improve Arsenal’s efficiency in front of goal and will make them a better attack next season. It will be interesting to see if Wenger feels that the Turkish star is so important to the club that he is ready to fend off interests from Lazio and Chelsea.
