Who is Orkun Kokcu? The young Feyenoord star coveted by Arsenal, Leeds, and Leicester

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 26 May 2021 19:16 BST
4 min read

Who is Orkun Kokcu? The young Feyenoord star coveted by Arsenal, Leeds, and Leicester — © ProShots

Orkun Kokcu is enjoying a burgeoning reputation in the Netherlands following his performances with Feyenoord over the past couple of seasons.

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The talented 20-year-old was reportedly close to leaving Feyenoord for Arsenal last summer only for the Gunners to turn their attentions to the likes of Houssem Aouar and then Thomas Partey.

His impressive outings for Feyenoord have not seen speculation regarding his future decline, with several clubs now interested in a summer 2021 transfer.

What position does Orkun Kokcu play in?

Kokcu is primarily a central midfielder but within those central areas he can be deployed either in the middle of the pitch or slightly further forward.

With Feyenoord, he has played centrally within a 4-3-3, as part of a two in a 4-2-3-1, and in the number 10 role within a 4-2-3-1 formation also. More often than not, he will feature slightly deeper than the number 10 role further back in midfield.

How good is Orkun Kokcu?

At the age of just 20, he has already made 50 senior appearances for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie alone, and is viewed certainly as one of the brightest prospects in Rotterdam, having made his debut as a 17-year-old in the KNVB Cup.

He made his Eredivisie debut in December of 2018 against Emmen, as he spectacularly came off the bench to score one goal and assist another.

Though he played his youth football with the Netherlands, he would eventually announce his intention to play for Turkey due to his Turkish heritage, and made his senior debut for the Turks in a Nations League game against Serbia.

Though an accomplished passer of the ball, Orkun Kokcu’s strengths come in his reading of the game and his battling nature, while his stamina allows him to get up and down the pitch with ease. This means he would fit in well with a team who like to press high up the pitch, as he is usually relentless in his pursuit of the ball.

In all competitions this season, he averages 5.8 ball recoveries per game.

In terms of his distribution, he completes 53.2 passes per game, with 20.9 of them being sent into dangerous areas in the final third.

What clubs are interested in Orkun Kokcu?

The club thought to be leading the race for Kokcu’s signature is Arsenal, who could once again reignite their interest from last season.

At the moment they currently have Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, and Dani Ceballos within their midfield ranks, while Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, and Joe Willock will all return from loan spells this summer.

Ceballos probably won’t be bought permanently, and with the three players currently out on loan at the moment not looking likely to become starters again anytime soon, that would open up space for Kokcu.

On his future, the player himself has previously said:

“I have a contract until 2025 but the situation has changed.

“The club has been very clear about the financial situation and it is clear that it is not good.

“So if a club comes with a good proposal for me and the entity can enter a good amount, I imagine that it will be listened to.”

When Arsenal were in for him last summer, the asking price was allegedly around £25 million (€30m), but like every club in Europe, Feyenoord have been hit hard by the current pandemic, and so will now be willing to let Kokcu leave for as little as £10m.

Now, the Sun reports that Leicester and Leeds have entered the race to sign him, with the former at least set to present huge competition for Arsenal if they make it into the Champions League.

Last summer when Arsenal were his keenest admirers, Roma and Atalanta were also mentioned as possible destinations, but speculation regarding a move to those clubs has fell away following the links to the Premier League.