Before Immobile and Osimhen
©Eyüpspor
Despite great competition, Ahmed Kutucu is the top scorer in the Süper Lig after twelve match days. After the 24-year-old attacker left FC Schalke 04, his career stalled, but a step back in the Turkish second division allowed him to flourish. He demonstrates his qualities in the jersey of newly promoted team Eyüpspor and is in the orbit of the Turkish national team.
In twelve games, Kutucu scored five goals and prepared five more. Together with Fenerbahce’s Dusan Tadic, he has the most goal involvements in the Süper Lig, ranking ahead of well-known strikers such as Victor Osimhen, Edin Dzeko and Ciro Immobile. His scorers have helped ensure that league newcomer Eyüpspor is currently in 4th place in the table and has nothing to do with relegation.
His coach Arda Turan plays an important role for Kutucu. “I’m just having fun with football again. I get up in the morning and look forward to training. Things were different in difficult times. It’s very important to have a coach who gives you the feeling that you still have a chance after a not so good game,” he says in an interview with Transfermarkt. Turan has been in office since April 2023 and led the club into the Süper Lig for the first time.
Kutucu already played a significant role in the promotion. With 14 goals in 21 games, the former Schalke player became his team’s second best goalscorer after Gianni Bruno. In October, Vincenzo Montella named Kutucu for the national team for the first time in four years, but he was denied a chance to play against Montenegro and Iceland. “I’m very pleased to be able to be there. But I also know that I have to continue to work on myself. Above all, it makes me proud that all the effort isn’t in vain, and it shows me that you always have to believe in yourself. Nowadays you always believe that you have to be at the top level at a young age like Musiala or Wirtz, but players like Füllkrug and Kleindienst also show that you should be patient and work on yourself.” Turkey’s upcoming international matches in November He missed the game with a thigh injury.
Turkey expert: “He took one step back to move forward two”
After relegation in 2021, Schalke sold Kutucu to Basaksehir for 500,000 euros, for whom he only played 132 minutes in four games. Six months later he was loaned to SV Sandhausen for a year and a half – he scored four times in 34 appearances. Shortly after his return in the summer of 2023, the left winger left Basaksehir for the then second division club Eyüpspor. “Five years earlier I had played in the Champions League with Schalke, so it was a difficult decision. I was awarded three times and each time it was mediocre. I really wanted to give my career a boost and that’s why I decided to make the move.”
“Going to the second Turkish league was obviously good for him. He consciously took one step back in order to move two steps forward. The Eyüpspor project suits him well, a lot is being invested in the team and he has a prominent coach in Arda Turan,” says Gökhan Yagmur, Area Manager Turkey at Transfermarkt. None of the eleven new signings cost a transfer fee, but the club still signed experienced professionals such as Emre Akbaba, Léo Dubois and Jonjo Shelvey.
In addition to his qualities as a goalscorer, Kutucu has shone as a provider this season. “He has good shooting technique, good positional play and always looks for a direct route to the goal,” explains Yagmur. It was only in September that Kutucu, who is one of the most valuable professionals in his team with a market value of 2.4 million euros, extended his contract until 2027. Yagmur trusts the two-time Turkish national player to take the next step. “It wasn’t enough at Basaksehir and the demands there are currently higher than at Eyüpspor. He fits into the team very well, which is why I’m a little more cautious with predictions. But basically he has the capacity for more.”
Kutucu himself looks to the future in a relaxed manner and focuses on the present: “I’m not that presumptuous. I’m enjoying the moment. There were already opportunities to change this summer, but I’m giving myself time. If I move, I want to play an important role in my new club.” He still has one big goal: “My dream is to play in the Premier League at some point. That’s what I work for every day.”
