Ahmetcan Kaplan – Something Special by @GelisimLigleri
One of a kind
With emerging stars like Serdar Saatçı, Ravil Tagir, Ahmetcan Kaplan, and many more Turkey’s 2003 generation has wonderful center backs. And with their performances, they are proving that they are something special. Maybe something that will happen once in a decade. So while this is happening, it’s best to enjoy it to the limits.
Who is Ahmetcan Kaplan?
Ahmetcan is a 19-year-old center-back who plays for Trabzonspor. He has an above average/slightly tall height(1.89 m). Even with this height, he is not clumsy (unlike a lot of center backs at his height). He is a capable passer (%90 percent accuracy rate on all of his passes), with an impressive header. With these capabilities, he usually achieves to create danger from spot kicks or corners. He is also strong on the ground, with a strength that you won’t expect from a 19 year old. And sometimes he can even dribble with the ball and surprise the opposing team (which is a very common trait among young Turkish center backs).
A bit of luck
At the start of this season, Ahmetcan probably wasn’t in the squad plans for Trabzonspor. But after the season ending injury of Edgar Ie and a terrible performance by highly controversial Hüseyin Türkmen, Ahmetcan found himself in a situation that he would never imagine. It’s usually the other way around for Turkish youngsters, but for Ahmetcan, luck was on his side. And this paid off for both parties. Trabzonspor got an emerging youngster with a huge sale potential and Ahmetcan got the chance he was waiting for a year with using it near perfectly.
What’s next?
With more and more Turkish “wonderkids” leaving their clubs for Europe, it is really hard to hold on to them, without guaranteeing them at least some kind of playing time. And because Ahmetcan already had a great start to his career, it’s hard to imagine him falling out of the rotation. If he keeps playing on the same level and doesn’t get injured too seriously, I can see him going to a top club in one to two years. He may be not too “modern” for a center back, but his style of play is still wanted among European clubs. With his newly acquired teammate Taha Altıkardeş, they can have a wonderful partnership too. Maybe they can be the Turkish center back duo in the upcoming years, who knows…
Something Special
You usually don’t see this kind of cold bloodiness in a 19 year old. And when you see it, you know it’s something special. Ahmetcan doesn’t have significant weakness, just some things he needs to “sharpen”. But, you may know, you can’t be sure of anything in Turkey. He might get suspended from the squad for an unknown reason, or just get lynched by the fans after a small mistake. The only thing we can do is hope that he doesn’t run into any kind of trouble. He has a lot of potential, a kind that shouldn’t be wasted on some unimportant reason…