Fenerbahçe’s youth project bearing fruit!
Since Ali Koç took over the presidency at Fenerbahçe, the investment in youth has been drawing attention.
The yellow-blue team is enriching Turkish football with new stars and filling its coffers by adding promising names in the development stage to its squad. Examples of these names include İsmail Yüksek, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, and Arda Güler.
İsmail Yüksek, who was signed from Gölcükspor at the age of 20, and Ferdi, who joined the squad at the age of 18 from Nec Nijmegen, are now indispensable members of the Turkish National Team.
Arda Güler, recruited from Gençlerbirliği’s youth academy at the age of 13, not only played for Fenerbahçe‘s A team but was later sold to the global giant Real Madrid for a record transfer fee.
In recent years, young talents with promising futures, akin to Arda, have been brought into the youth academy after scouting nationwide. Names like Can Bartu Çığır, Yiğit Evin, Utku Karakaya, Yasir Boz, and 17-year-old defender Yusuf Akçiçek, who played in the starting lineup against Ludogorets, are among these talents.
Before the start of this season, Bartuğ Elmaz (20) was also signed as part of this youth-focused strategy.
