Caglar Soyuncu emerges as new cult hero at Leicester City

[foxinsocks]

I met a guy in a sauna last week who told me he was some kind of agent for chaglar.  He said the coaching from toure was first class and that chaglar would be one of the top cbs in the world in 4 years time.  

What was inspiring was his talk of how chaglar had left home at 10 to go to a football academy...he had to learn from the coaches and do well at his studies to stay in... 

Edited 31 October 2019 by foxinsocks

[bmt]

3 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

I met a guy in a sauna last week who told me he was some kind of agent for chaglar.  He said the coaching from toure was first class and that chaglar would be one of the to cns in the world in 4 years time.  

What was inspiring was his talk of how chaglar had left home at 10 to go to a football academy...he had to learn from the coaches and do well at his studies to stay in... 

Is this a troll?

[foxinsocks]

Just now, bmt said:

Is this a troll?

No... why do u think it is? I was impressed

 

[gurru991]

15 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

I met a guy in a sauna last week who told me he was some kind of agent for chaglar.  He said the coaching from toure was first class and that chaglar would be one of the top cbs in the world in 4 years time.  

What was inspiring was his talk of how chaglar had left home at 10 to go to a football academy...he had to learn from the coaches and do well at his studies to stay in... 

How many good stories start with "I met a guy in the sauna"

[oadby.fox]

26 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

I met a guy in a sauna last week who told me he was some kind of agent for chaglar.  He said the coaching from toure was first class and that chaglar would be one of the top cbs in the world in 4 years time.  

What was inspiring was his talk of how chaglar had left home at 10 to go to a football academy...he had to learn from the coaches and do well at his studies to stay in... 

Was it a Turkish bath by any chance 

[Hayati]

In Turkey we don't have much professional football academies but a man dedicated his life for Turkish Football and he bought Altinordu football club . He decided not to use any foreigner player in his team while the other teams 5 foreigner players . Çağlar and Cengiz (from Roma ) graduated from that school.  Their academy now one of the best in Europe. In their squad now in first eleven a CB defender is playing in every match and he is only 16 and a forward is playing and 15 years old and he is followed by top clubs in Europe. This academy is a boarding school and yes Çağlar must had left his home when he was 10 or something like that but still we don't know if the sauna guy is troll or not but the rest sounds pretty realistic .

[bmt]

42 minutes ago, bmt said:

Is this a troll?

 

40 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

No... why do u think it is? I was impressed

 

Haha sorry, it was the "met a guy in the sauna" part I thought it was wind up!

[Leeds Fox]

9 hours ago, Beechey said:

Absoluely, but we have to be prepared for it to not come off every now and again and to not get on his back. He's started more goal-scoring attacks and stopped more opposition goal-scoring chances doing this than if he just sat and defended in a more orthodox manner.

 

He’ll have been coached when to do it, when not to. Who to do it against and who not to. Committing to this against certain strikers, is a real risk. 

 

Deeney for example, if Cags tries to get in front and win the ball, it only takes a nudge and he’ll be turned. If it’s a lone striker, Evans will be well aware he may need to cover. 

 

It’s an art as much as anything a midfielder or attacker does on the pitch. Often standing off to allow the pass into feet and as soon as it’s played, nip in. He’s a big enough lad that if the nudge does come as he’s trying to get in-front that he can commit a cheap foul and not be left behind. 

 

As long as he’s doing this high up the pitch there should be enough cover to deal with it and it not be a real danger (especially as the bigger strikers who can foil this aren’t usually the quickest). If it happens deeper, it’s usually congested enough for someone else to get a foot in or block a shot. I’m sure he’s smart enough to simply stand someone up around the edge of our box if it isn’t on though. 

 

 

[urban fox]

the emergence of the talent of Caglar (and others) is a testament not only to the recruitment team but the coaching talents we now have at the club. Toure was a class act in his day and is obviously a highly talented coach. when you have one of the best showing talented youngsters who are willing to learn the tricks of the trade it can only bode well for the future

[Tom12345]

20 hours ago, TJB-fox said:

It’s ironic really because I think the majority of fans and I bet even most insiders within the club would’ve expected Benkovic to be a starter and Soyuncu heading out on loan at this stage of the season. 

I actually thought last year he had already shown us that he was top quality. He just had some rawness in him back then and he had lapsed in concentration once or twice towards the end of the few games that he played. So not to say I predicted his rapid rise that he had this year, but I was quietly confident he would be a more than capable replacement for Maguire. 

 

The only thing I was not 100% sure is his height. I did wonder about his ability to win headers. He turns out to be not bad although I do indeed wish he is an inch or two taller.

[TJB-fox]

3 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

I actually thought last year he had already shown us that he was top quality. He just had some rawness in him back then and he had lapsed in concentration once or twice towards the end of the few games that he played. So not to say I predicted his rapid rise that he had this year, but I was quietly confident he would be a more than capable replacement for Maguire. 

 

The only thing I was not 100% sure is his height. I did wonder about his ability to win headers. He turns out to be not bad although I do indeed wish he is an inch or two taller.

Fair enough, I didn’t think he’d slot in this well at all. I thought he looked ok in the games he played but cost us a goal in each game and for me that screamed a big no no. I think the fixtures were Fulham and Huddersfield away. Thought his all round play wasn’t bad but when that Abou Kamara from Fulham had him on toast at Craven Cottage I highly doubt anyone thought he’d do this well.

[Leeds Fox]

15 minutes ago, TJB-fox said:

Fair enough, I didn’t think he’d slot in this well at all. I thought he looked ok in the games he played but cost us a goal in each game and for me that screamed a big no no. I think the fixtures were Fulham and Huddersfield away. Thought his all round play wasn’t bad but when that Abou Kamara from Fulham had him on toast at Craven Cottage I highly doubt anyone thought he’d do this well.

 

I think he’s shown us in 10 games that he isn’t just a flash in the pan either. His partnership with Evans is only going to get stronger. 

 

I think he might have struggled if he wasn’t next to someone of Evans’ calibre. 

[TJB-fox]

1 minute ago, Leeds Fox said:

 

I think he’s shown us in 10 games that he isn’t just a flash in the pan either. His partnership with Evans is only going to get stronger. 

 

I think he might have struggled if he wasn’t next to someone of Evans’ calibre. 

Agreed. Evans is a class act as we all know. The big thing for me has been the Soyuncu and Maguire comparison. Price tags aside, we’ve looked better with Soyuncu in the side imo but that’s not to say he’s a better player, I’m remaining impartial on that one unlike a lot of Leicester fans  But for me Soyuncu’s partnership with Evans is becoming stronger than when Evans and Maguire played with each other. Their natural strengths coincide with each other’s weaknesses. 

[Langston]

Henry Winter interviews the big man

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/6b25897c-fcbd-11e9-837f-79f312a00fbd

[Langston]

Quote

Soyuncu is unique, a risk-taker in a results business, and such a force of nature for Leicester their supporters do not lament Harry Maguire’s departure. “I’d like to thank every single Leicester fan,” Soyuncu says. “Their support has been amazing."

 

[sdb]

Can someone c&p article please?!?! X

[Langston]

1 minute ago, sdb said:

Can someone c&p article please?!?! X

There's no paywall, be easier to click the link surely?

[rachhere]

2 minutes ago, Langston said:

There's no paywall, be easier to click the link surely?

There is though 

[The whole world smiles]

3 minutes ago, Langston said:

There's no paywall, be easier to click the link surely?

There is a pay wall matey

[Langston]

There isn't for me for some reason! I'll copy it chaps

[Langston]

Quote

 

So far this season, Caglar Soyuncu has done a Cruyff turn on Raúl Jiménez in his own box, dummied away with the ball from Callum Wilson yards from goal, sent Christian Pulisic sliding in the wrong direction and then scooped the ball over the American for good measure. He’s outpaced Sadio Mané, turned so sharply that Tanguy Ndombélé lost his footing, and scared Miguel Almirón into coughing up the ball almost out of fear. Soyuncu is a centre back with the fearlessness and flair of an attacker. “I used to play up front!” he laughs.
 

The Leicester City defender still belts the ball clear when required, as a few Liverpool fans discovered as they dived for cover in the Sir Kenny Dalglish stand at Anfield, and he can make mistakes, as Marcus Rashford exploited in winning a penalty for Manchester United. Soyuncu is unique, a risk-taker in a results business, and such a force of nature for Leicester their supporters do not lament Harry Maguire’s departure. “I’d like to thank every single Leicester fan,” Soyuncu says. “Their support has been amazing. We feel their support in the stadium and also outside when they see us, we feel their love.”

The 23-year-old has brought even more invention to Brendan Rodgers’ bold side, who travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday. Expect more highlights, more risk-taking, more stepping out of defence. ‘I used to play in midfield too as well as upfront,’ he explains of his formative years in Turkey, ‘but then things changed and I became a defender.’ He says it with no sense of regret, simply an acceptance that he will carry on playing the game to his own rhythm, a cavalier among roundheads.
 

He is fearless. “In the position I play I’m the last one at the back, so that requires that sort of ‘fearless’ attitude,” he says. Does he focus, as many believe, on entertaining fans? “For 90 minutes, I focus on the game. I’m not trying to entertain anyone, but if that [a Cruyff turn] is what needs to be done, I do that. If we win the game, the supporters will be entertained, they will be happy anyway.’ He simply believes that élan can be worked into a winning matchday game plan.

We meet in the dome at Leicester’s training ground with academy players excitedly walking past, steering their stride towards the club’s cult figure, and delighting as he stops. Eye contact, smile, handshake. They love it. One ventures ‘hello’ in Turkish, ‘Merhaba’, which Soyuncu enjoys and they run off laughing. ‘Cags’ spreads joy. He’s known among the fans, including the club legend Gary Lineker, as ‘Lord Farquaad’ from the Shrek series, because of his heroic hair and chiselled jaw. To opponents, he’s known as a bit of a nightmare, a wall they run into, a one-man rolling maul when he advances to obliterate an attacker.

He perches on the edge of a sofa, speaking enough English to understand the question but preferring to answer via an interpreter. We talk about that match against Wolves on the opening day at the King Power, that Cruyff turn against Jiménez. What was he thinking of so close to goal? “Some people might think that’s a risky thing to do as a defender, but sometimes a moment comes when you have to do a Cruyff turn.

‘It’s about doing the right thing in that moment,’ he adds. It’s about decision-making, a faculty he admits he is “still working on”.

It’s why he flicked his right foot out to nick the ball when Jiménez then went down the right. It’s why he stood his ground when Diogo Jota ran at him, eventually falling over, succumbing to the Soyuncu force-field.
 

Clean sheets matter. On returning to the dressing room after the stalemate, Jamie Vardy and all the players applauded Soyuncu. He turns briefly emotional when recalling their salute. “I feel very lucky to be here, playing for this club, alongside all these great players and great friends. We all want each other to do well individually, which brings success for the team. Jamie Vardy is a very funny person, makes jokes all the time, which makes it really easy for a new player to get used to the surroundings and bond with the team.”
 

Vardy and the team understood how much that match meant to Soyuncu. They know his journey has not always been smooth. Hailing from Izmir, reputedly the city of Homer, Soyuncu’s odyssey began on the streets, expressing himself with a ball. “We had a lot of places to go and play, good pitches, we were lucky. We are a very modest family, a normal family I would say, not poor, not rich. We still live that lifestyle to this day. Modest.

“Nobody else in the family played football. But my father has been a great help, always supported and inspired me. I left home at a very early age, but my parents always told me to try to do my best, and respect everyone.” Those values were enhanced when he joined the local side, Altinordu, with its commitment to youth, with its motto of “Good Person, Good Citizen, Good Player”. Aged 20, and already a senior Turkish international, a rarity for a player at an Izmir club, Soyuncu moved to Freiburg, and within two years a host of clubs were being linked with him.
 

Leicester acted smartly, paying £19 million in August 2018, but Soyuncu experienced some frustrating times. He was out in the cold for three months, ignored by Claude Puel, and then Rodgers who had the Maguire-Evans axis working so well. But then came Huddersfield away, April 6 of this year, Soyuncu’s day of destiny. Evans was absent with a hip problem, Maguire had been granted time off to look after his new baby, so Rodgers turned to Soyuncu to partner Wes Morgan. “My parents told me my time would come, so to be patient and ready for that occasion. And that time did come.
 

“When you’re not playing regularly, it’s difficult, you know? It makes you unhappy. As a young player, it was my first season, and it wasn’t easy but my team-mates all helped me a lot. The manager was great also. He kept telling me that my time was going to come. He communicates really well with players who regularly play and also those waiting their time. He listens to you if you have a problem. I’m grateful to be playing for him. I believe Brendan Rodgers is a great all-round manager, tactically and also with his man-management. His staff, Kolo [Touré] and Chris [Davies] are great also.”
 

Then, as now, Touré has been a particular influence, working with Soyuncu in training. “Kolo had a massive career, played for his national team (Ivory Coast), a legend in his country, and he’s well-known in the UK [having played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic]. I feel very lucky he played my position so he helps me a lot.”
 

This is one of the reasons for his popularity, his willingness to work hard, and he constantly emphasises that “I’m still learning, I’m still improving”. Players and staff also like Soyuncu’s quirkiness, his tactile side, whether punching the physio playfully in the ribs, or putting team-mates in headlocks. Is it a means of communicating? ‘It’s nothing to do with my language skills,” he laughs. “I’ve always been that way. You have to have fun — it helps the team spirit. It’s important.”
 

He has certainly got to grips with English football, the pace and physicality. Leicester have set to music the moment their No 4 pressed Pulisic, nicked the ball, rolled it back with his left before flicking it over Pulisic to Hamza Choudhury in front of a shocked Matthew Harding Stand. ‘You make those decisions in a split second,’ he smiles, ‘and I believe it was the right decision because I managed to pass it to a team-mate and we went on the attack.’

‘In modern football, you have to be strong but also fast, so I’m trying to improve my skills to be that modern defender. This is a very difficult league and we play against the best players in the world, so I work hard to be that.’
 

He nods at the mention of the variety of challenges: one week it is the muscular Chris Wood of Burnley, then the flying Rashford of United. One game it can be first Olivier Giroud, then Tammy Abraham. Another game, it can be Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino, Mané and Mohamed Salah. ‘During training we analyse the team we’re going to play against, but I don’t look at individual players as ‘names’. I just try to improve my skills, speed and power to be ready.’ As to Rodgers’ comment that ‘he’s not frightened of anyone,’ Soyuncu replies, ‘It’s very flattering, very nice to hear that from your manager.’
 

One of his best games came in the narrow loss to Rodgers’ old club, Liverpool. When Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a long pass down the inside-right channel to Salah, Soyuncu accelerated, reached the ball ahead of the Egyptian, took a couple of touches, looked up and cleared with his weaker left foot. ‘You have to be like that against a team that won the Champions League,’ Soyuncu reflects. ‘They are fast players, Salah and Mané - that’s right - but you have to keep up with them, you have to work hard.’
 

He may have started as a striker, dropped back into midfield, and now centre back, but Soyuncu is steeped in the history of great Turkish defenders, such as Bulent Korkmaz and Alpay Ozalan, part of that strong Turkish side of the mid-90s. ‘I speak to Alpay, he must have been a good player because he played here in the Premier League (with Aston Villa).’ He remembers that famous generation, including Rustu Recber, Tugay and Hakan Sukur. Soyuncu respects that golden crop of players, but adds, ‘My generation of Turkish players, we want to do as well, if not better than the previous generations you mention.’

Before he returns to the main pavilion, Soyuncu ventures a quiet tribute to Leicester’s late, great owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who passed away a year ago. Vichai’s influence is still so strong, and the love for him eternal, that Soyuncu spoke about him in the present tense. ‘Vichai is such an important person for our team, not just for me, but for the others as well, for all the club.’
 

Soyuncu spent a few minutes inspecting the pictures on the wall of the home-grown likes of Lineker, Emile Heskey and Andy King. Lineker famously tweeted as to why Leicester were so right not to bother investing the Maguire money on a replacement centre back. ‘They knew how good Soyuncu is,’ Lineker said. ‘It’s great to hear things from these legends, like Gary Lineker,’ Soyuncu says. ‘It makes me proud. But I am at the beginning of this journey.’ A journey with a few twists and Cruyff turns to come.

 

[m4DD0gg]

all this positive press guarantees he will leave either next summer or the one after

[frany104]

What a guy! He’s been superb this season and looks a real player who’s only going to improve. 

[Stadt]

What a bloke, hope we can keep him for a good few years yet.

[ARM1968]

Big teams are looking on. If he keeps playing as he is and improving game by game the lad will be hard to keep hold of. First £100 million CB?  Could be.