After a debut season that went surprisingly well under Erik ten Hag in 2022/23, last season was the total opposite for Manchester United.
The Dutch manager led his side to a disappointing eighth-placed finish, but with a mountain of injuries throughout the campaign and an FA Cup triumph to round it off, the club opted to give him another chance to prove he’s the man for the job.
However, the club has to back him in the coming months to make it worthwhile.
While they have yet to make a permanent signing, there have been incredibly strong links to Bayern Munich’s Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt in recent weeks. Now, another defensive ace has been touted for a move to Old Trafford, and he could be the perfect player to replace Luke Shaw.
Manchester United transfer news
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, United are keen on Fenerbahçe left-back Ferdi Kadioglu and have sent scouts to watch him play at the Euro 2024 for Turkey.
However, the Red Devils are set to have some competition if they want to sign the 24-year-old, as Key also revealed that Arsenal had scouts in attendance at the same games to watch the full-back play.
According to a separate story from Turkish publication Ajansspor last month, the Istanbul outfit value their exciting gem at €40m, which converts to around £34m.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but with Ten Hag reportedly keen to sort out the team’s left-back position this summer, it looks like one UInited cannot miss out on, especially as he could be great alongside De Ligt as well.
Why Kadioglu would be a great signing and teammate for De Ligt
So, if Ten Hag can bring Kadioglu to Old Trafford this summer, his primary barrier to playing regular first-team football would be Shaw – when fit, of course – so how do the pair compare?
When it comes to pure output, the Turkish international scored three goals and provided five assists in 51 appearances last season, equating to a goal involvement on average every 6.37 games.
In comparison, in 2022/23, the last season in which he managed to play an entire campaign, the former Southampton prospect scored one goal and provided six assists in 47 appearances, which equates to a goal involvement every 6.71 games on average.
So, the “electric” Fenerbahçe star, as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, just about comes out on top there, but an area in which he comfortably comes out on top is positional versatility.
In his career to date, the Arnhem-born dynamo has started 66 games at left-back, 56 in attacking midfield, 44 at right wing, 37 at right-back, 23 at left wing, 19 in left and right midfield, 15 in central midfield, and even one as a second striker and defensive midfielder.
|
Kadıoğlu’s positional versatility |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Starts |
Goals |
Assists |
Goal Involvements per Start |
|
Left-Back |
66 |
4 |
8 |
0.18 |
|
Attacking Midfield |
56 |
5 |
9 |
0.25 |
|
Right Wing |
44 |
5 |
8 |
0.29 |
|
Right-Back |
37 |
2 |
4 |
0.16 |
|
Left Wing |
23 |
7 |
5 |
0.52 |
|
Right Midfield |
19 |
1 |
0 |
0.05 |
|
Left Midfield |
19 |
2 |
1 |
0.15 |
|
Central Midfield |
15 |
3 |
3 |
0.40 |
|
Second Striker |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
Defensive Midfield |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
In contrast, the Englishman has started 305 matches at left-back, 21 at centre-back and 14 in left midfield, so while he could argue he’s more experienced in the role the two players will be fighting over, his overall usefulness to Ten Hag will be significantly less in comparison.
This ability to play all over the pitch could help the 24-year-old form a great partnership with De Ligt, as he might start one game to the left of him, the next to his right and the one after that ahead of him.
Moreover, the fact that he’s that bit more effective going forward could see him make the most of the fact that FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, ranks the Dutchman in the top 4% of centre-backs for completed passes, the 10% for progressive passes and the top 15% for attempted passes.
Ultimately, Shaw is an undeniably talented left-back, but so is Kadioglu, and if the Englishman cannot be relied upon to stay fit, then bringing in the Turkish international to replace him makes sense, especially if he can also be used as a utility player across the pitch and form an understanding with De Ligt.
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