Name: Hakan Calhanoglu
Club: SV Hamburg
Nationality: Turkey
Position: Attacking midfield
Who is he?
He might have been born in Germany, but unlike many Germans of Turkish descent, Hakan Calhanoglu has pledged his future to Turkey.
The 19-year-old was born in Mannheim and from the age of 7 to 15, he was educated (in the footballing sense) at hometown SV Waldhof Mannheim.
In 2009, the promising attacking midfielder joined the youth system of yo-yo club Karlsruher, making his first team debut two years later in the 2.Bundesliga, making 14 appearances, yielding three assists.
Unfortunately for Karlsruher, they were relegated and spent last season in the third tier but Calhanoglu stayed on loan and thrived.
Achievements
Signed by Bundesliga club Hamburg in the of summer 2012 but immediately loaned back to Karlsruher, 2012/13 turned out to be his breakout year. Early in the season, Karlsruher deployed a 4-5-1 with Calhanoglu fielded in the central attacking midfield role.
But as the season wore on, 4-4-2 became the main formation and Calhanoglu found himself fielded on either flank with licence to cut inside.
The first half of the season in the central role saw him score just four times and assist once. But by the end of the season his totals had jumped to an über-impressive 17 goals and 12 assists in 36 matches as Karlsruher earned promotion.
That success earned him a first team spot at Hamburg this season and thus far he has been placed in the centre-forward position in front of Rafael Van der Vaart who sits in the hole. Indeed he even wears the No 9 shirt.
At international level, the German born starlet has represented Turkey from U16 level and earned his first U21 cap last year. He also appeared at the U20 World Cup earlier in the summer on home soil.
Attributes
A versatile player, Calhanoglu has been deployed up front, behind the striker and on both flanks during his fledgling career.
An accurate finisher, that accuracy also bleeds into his passing, as the young Turk also has an eye for a good ball.
Right-footed he is also a danger from direct and indirect set pieces. He scored seven free-kicks in total last season.
Potential
Still a bit raw, he has great potential which explains why Hamburg decided to snap him up. But to expect to reach Mesut Ozil's level is very premature.
So far this season, Hamburg have tended to play him up front. It is a position where he can learn certain attributes but attacking midfield seems the role where he will thrive in the future.
