Popular Post urban.spaceman 32,453 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Caglar Soyuncu emerges as new cult hero at Leicester City as Harry Maguire replacement John Percy Caglar Soyuncu received a standing ovation from Leicester team-mates in the dressing room following his performance against Wolves Credit: Getty Images There is a huge tattoo of a lion covering his back, while he has the chiselled jaw one might expect of a Marvel superhero. Çağlar Söyüncü is already proving there is life after ‘Slabhead’. The Turkish centre-back has swiftly emerged as a new cult hero at Leicester City, just a few weeks after Harry Maguire became the most expensive defender in the world with that £85 million move to Manchester United. Maguire’s departure to Old Trafford could have been a daunting scenario for Leicester, a damaging blow to Brendan Rodgers’s hopes of gatecrashing the top six, yet the plan was already in place last year for Söyüncü to be the long-term successor. Against Wolves last Sunday, in only his fifth Premier League start, the giant defender known as ‘Cags’ seized his opportunity and received a standing ovation from team-mates in the dressing room after the final whistle. He is poised to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend alongside the vastly experienced Jonny Evans, aiming to enhance his reputation further. It is a challenging task for Caglar Soyuncu to fill the boots of Harry Maguire Credit: Getty Images Follow your club now for first access to all our news, views and analysis “All the players were so happy for him last weekend because it’s not easy to replace someone of Harry’s quality,” Rodgers told Telegraph Sport. “With Harry going, of course ‘Cags’ is now going to have his chance. He is a modern-day centre-half and there were teams willing to sign him [this summer] if he wasn’t going to play here. “He was outstanding last weekend and now it’s about sustaining it and showing consistency over the course of the season. He’s a wee bit quirky with his hairdo and everything, and the fans have taken to him.” It is certainly a challenging task for a 23-year-old to fill the boots of Maguire, a player who transformed his career at Leicester and became a World Cup hero with England, but Söyüncü replacing Maguire was always in the thoughts of Leicester’s recruitment team. The LCFC Stat Man @TheLCFCStatMan Caglar Soyuncu, game by numbers: 86 touches 71 / 77 passes completed (92% ) 5 aerial duels won 3 tackles won 3 clearances#lcfc #LEIWOL @Syncaglar 357 9:10 PM - Aug 11, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 50 people are talking about this He made his senior Turkey debut as a teenager and became sought after across Europe during his spell in the Bundesliga with SC Freiburg, where he was watched consistently by Leicester’s scouts for 12 months. United had been considering a move for Maguire last summer, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge, so Leicester were aware that contingency plans had to be made. Söyüncü was signed for €20 million last August while another young centre-half, Filip Benković, was signed from Dinamo Zagreb on the same day. With Benković quickly loaned out to Celtic - then managed by Rodgers - it was, at times, a frustrating season for Söyüncü with Maguire, Evans and Wes Morgan the usual picks at the heart of the back four under first Claude Puel and then Rodgers. “I spoke to him at the end of last season as he hadn’t played much, but I liked what I’d seen,” said Rodgers. Harry Maguire left Leicester for Man Utd this summer Credit: Reuters “I put him in against Huddersfield [on April 6] because I wanted to give Harry a bit of time off to be with his wife and child. He's had that first year where he had to adapt with a lot of players in front of him, but he’d made a great impression.” United finally completed their protracted pursuit of Maguire on the morning of August 2. It may have been a world record fee for a defender, but Leicester’s stance was purely dictated by market forces, with the £50 million paid out by United to Crystal Palace for Aaron Wan-Bissaka - who made just 46 appearances for the club - reinforcing their position. Leicester did consider moves for either Burnley’s James Tarkowski or Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake, who have both been on the radar for some time. However, when it became clear that the fees demanded were unrealistic, the original plan to promote Söyüncü fell into place. After last weekend’s man-of-the-match performance against Wolves, it already appears a shrewd move. Söyüncü’s idols are Carles Puyol and Mats Hummels, and there are easy comparisons with Maguire in that both players possess a wide range of passing and good temperament. He is low-maintenance, unfailingly polite but with a rock-solid handshake, and “just gets on with the job”. Some Leicester staff have compared him to Marcin Wasilewski, a popular Polish defender from a few years back, and this weekend on the BBC’s Football Focus Ben Chilwell and James Maddison both revealed Söyüncü is under constant scrutiny due to his unique haircut. There is nothing questionable over his abilities as a player, however, as underlined by the round of applause last Sunday. Gerry Taggart, the former Leicester defender who now covers games for the club’s TV station, said: “Other ex-Leicester players have put question marks around him but I’ve always been telling people he has something. “This guy has what it takes. He has been thrown in at the deep end but I think he keeps it simple. He has the ability to see who is in the better position and pulls it off with his passing. He’s been a bit rash in the past but he has many of the same attributes when I was young, and I think he’s given himself a tremendous start.” 29 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post RumbleFox 7,473 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Love the big cvnt. X 5 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALC Fox 1,462 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Soyuncu and Benkovic at the back in the long term could be quite the partnership. I love this club! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HankMarvin 5,147 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 11 minutes ago, RumbleFox said: Love the big cvnt. X Thats you and Rooney that share a common interest Quote Link to post Share on other sites
That_Dude 1,898 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Love him. Long live Soy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post LC/FC 1,060 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 A young Wasyl is quite... A scary notion 7 1 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Walkers 2,777 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Until tomorrow when he has a stinker and his ability is questioned 1 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Corky 13,674 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 He will make mistakes but I don't think he's a huge drop down in quality from Maguire. We need him next to Evans for a while to settle him in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Spudulike 3,489 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 A £50m plus replacement wouldn't have done any better than Cags last week. 14 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Paddy. 14,672 Posted 17 August 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 "He’s been a bit rash in the past but he has many of the same attributes I had when I was young, and I think he’s given himself a tremendous start.” Think Gerry is rewriting history a bit here 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
baldeagle 1,687 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 1 minute ago, Paddy. said: "He’s been a bit rash in the past but he has many of the same attributes I had when I was young, and I think he’s given himself a tremendous start.” Think Gerry is rewriting history a bit here I thought the exact same 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lestajigs 1,068 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 21 minutes ago, Walkers said: Until tomorrow when he has a stinker and his ability is questioned Thats the spirit........ 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UPinCarolina 2,694 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 (edited) With a face like that, how could he not become a cult hero? We love our CBs here at Leicester. Even Benny 🤪 Edited 17 August 2019 by UPinCarolina Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Poznan34 888 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 up the Cags! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SO1 1,696 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 1 hour ago, Walkers said: Until tomorrow when he has a stinker and his ability is questioned Not a stinker just one minuscule mistake at which half the board will chastise Rodgers for not getting Dunk Ake etc. or we should never have let Maguire go. The more things change the more they stay the same. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wymsey 4,701 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Surprised that they didn't show the tattoo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LC/FC 1,060 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 1 hour ago, LC/FC said: A young Wasyl is quite... A scary notion https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/he-enjoys-inflicting-pain--3222226 I was right... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urban fox 1,664 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 1 hour ago, Corky said: He will make mistakes but I don't think he's a huge drop down in quality from Maguire. We need him next to Evans for a while to settle him in. Exactly that. When Walshy first came here he was so raw he was a liability but obviously possessed the talent. A year at the side of Russell Osman who been there and got the t-shirt and he didn’t turn out too shabby for us. every youngster, especially in that position needs the guidance of an old head sometimes to show them the little tricks of the trade. I do believe from what I have seen of him that in the fullness of time it may just turn out that we have another real gem on our hands here. Early days but who knows 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MC Prussian 7,505 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Wow, just one game into the new season! Percy, please. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
leicesterseddon 458 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 (edited) ‘Cult hero’ is obviously a bit much, but he did have a good game against Wolves. The main advantage he has over Maguire is pace, and he passes the ball out quite quickly from the back instead of making pointless forays into midfield. However his heading isn’t as good, his positioning is a bit iffy and he has more mistakes in him. He will benefit from more game time alongside Evans though. Edited 17 August 2019 by leicesterseddon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SemperEadem 2,721 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 He has a chant that even the most militant non singer will be hard pushed to refrain from singing it. Catchy as anything. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beechey 4,442 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 4 hours ago, SemperEadem said: He has a chant that even the most militant non singer will be hard pushed to refrain from singing it. Catchy as anything. What is it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merging Cultures 2,740 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 8 hours ago, ALC Fox said: Soyuncu and Benkovic at the back in the long term could be quite the partnership. I love this club! We do seem quite well run at the moment, apart from the need for a back up striker and maybe winger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merging Cultures 2,740 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 Anyone else surprised by the tattoo? He seems so 'clean cut'. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gurru991 1,483 Posted 17 August 2019 Report Share Posted 17 August 2019 7 hours ago, Poznan34 said: up the Cags! You want to be where ? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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