Arsenal and Fulham are reportedly tracking down Turkish star Burak Yilmaz.
But who exactly is he?
Well here are 10 things you should know about him:
1. Burak Yilmaz was born in Antayla, Turkey, on the 15th of July 1985. He started his football career playing for local side Antalyaspor, where he played from 2002-2006.
2. During the 2005/06 season, Yilmaz was a vital member of the team who clinched promoted to Super Lig (the top flight league in Turkish football). During that final season, he scored nine goals in 24 appearances.
3. On the 14th of June 2006, The Turk was transferred to Besiktas, where he scored five goals in 30 appearances. He never lived up to expectations at the club and was sold to Manisaspor in January 2008 as part of a swap deal.
4. It was at Manisapor that he became an immediate success, scoring a hat-trick in his first game for the club against Denizlispor.
5. During his six months at the club, the 26-year-old went on to score nine goals in 16 appearances, before being sold to Fenerbahçe in the summer.
Let’s take a look at the player in action:
6. Despite being introduced to Fenerbahçe as a promising youngster, Yilmaz only played five games during the 2008/09 season, before going on a year long loan to Eskisehirspor on the 11th of July 2009.
7. It wasn’t until February 2010 when he got his dream move to Trabzonspor that he became a recognised goal-scorer. During the 2010/11 season he not only helped Trabzonspor finish second in the league, he was also the clubs top league goal-scorer with 19 goals in 30 league games. Burak Yilmaz had finally rediscovered his form.
8. On the 3rd of June 2011 he netted his first goal for the Turkish national side, scoring against Belgium in the Euro 2012 qualifier, levelling the match at 1-1.
9. Signing a new four-year deal in July 2011, Yilmaz went on to prove himself further and has netted 32 league goals in 30 appearances for Trabzonspor so far this season, beating the previous record held by Faith Tekke (31 goals).
10. In doing so, he has attracted the attention of Arsenal, Fulham, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, who are all set to fight for his signature in the upcoming transfer window.
Could he be a good signing for Arsenal, or is it just a case of another player who has been linked with the club?
Based on his last couple of seasons it does look like he is developing into quite a player. However, in all honesty, I cannot see Arsenal going for him unless we lose a couple of back-up strikers during the summer.
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with chamakh, bendtner, vela and potentially park all a possibility to exit it may be useful to bring in another back up to complement the signing of Podolski. personally, bringing in 2 new signings in the striking department can get complicated as the lack of gametime causes unrest a lot quicker. i think giving an opportunity to our youth makes more sense. The likes of Benik Afobe should be given a chance because players promoted to the first team after working their way through the ranks is more rewarding and they are more humble to the team and their role in the rotation and support if our more senior players. not to mention we will have Joel Campbell to come back off loan (who i think will make an instant impact), i cant see any further recruitment in this position.