Nice surprise in the Europa League Conference, the Dutch club Feyenoord was able to thwart the forecasts to go to the final. Leaving at the top of a group made up of Slavia Prague, Union Berlin and Maccabi Haifa, the Dutch team then beat Partizan Belgrade (8-3 on aggregate), before dominating Slavia Prague (6-4 aggregate) then to beat OM (3-2 aggregate) in order to go to the final. A real goal machine (120 in 53 matches in all competitions), the Dutch team is not lacking in talent with players like Markus Pedersen, Lutsharel Geertruida, Fredrik Aursnes, Guus Till, Luis Sinisterra, Cyriel Dessers or even Tyrell Malacia in its ranks . The latter is also followed by Olympique Lyonnais just like a certain Orkun Kökçü. Very pleasing to Peter Bosz, the 21-year-old Turkish midfielder is part of Rotterdam training, with 9 goals and 9 offerings this season in 49 matches played.
Pure product of the formation of Feyenoord, the one who has 14 caps (1 goal) with Turkey has continued to pass the stages at high speed. The native of Haarleem – who evolves as a torchbearer, but can also officiate a notch higher – has also taken on a whole new dimension this season under the orders of Arne Slot. The former AZ Alkmaar manager made him the leader of his midfield and he quickly fell under his spell, as reported ESPN : “I told one or two guys that I really liked playing with Orkun Kökçü. He wasn’t alone, but I didn’t think he put such incredible energy into the game. There were times when he was a little imprecise, but I thought he was very clean on the ball today today. He also put a lot of pressure and he put a lot of intensity in the game. Comments that took place last September after a 3-0 victory against Heerenveen and which found a good response from the young Turk.
Many suitors in this case
Gaining in maturity and consistency, Orkun Kökçü was the cornerstone of “The Pride of the South”. And of course, he is grateful for the contribution of Arne Slot in his progress. “When the coach came to Feyenoord, I had already heard from a friend who plays at AZ what kind of coach he is. So I was really looking forward to working with him. He has a great influence on me and helped me develop. He constantly tells me to play with confidence, even after a game less where I was less good. I think he’s a very good coach and the style of play suits us perfectly now. I was hoping it would work, but I never thought it would work so well for our team.”, he explained at a press conference before playing against Olympique de Marseille. 90 or 120 minutes from winning his second trophy after the 2019 Dutch Super Cup, Orkun Kökçü knows that the Europa League Conference final may be his last match with the red-and-white jersey.
Estimated at 15 million euros by his club, he could leave this summer despite a current contract until June 2025. Indeed, the club’s economic situation could play a role in this file. as he explained last March : “I have a contract until 2025, but the situation has changed. The club have been very clear about their financial situation and it is clear that it is not good. So if a club comes with a good proposal for me and the club can bring in a good amount, I imagine they will be listened to. Thereby, the FC Barcelona, but also Sevilla, Arsenal, Leeds United and Leicester are in the running, as is Olympique Lyonnais. Arne Slot also commented on the possible animated transfer window of his foal by confirming the presence of Arsenal in the file: “I’m very positive about the steps he’s taken, but he needs to be more consistent to be a top player. Kökçü is a very important player for Feyenoord and the fans love him. Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in signing him this summer. The next few weeks promise to be crucial for Orkun Kökçü and it starts this Wednesday against AS Roma on the occasion of the very first final of the Europa League Conference.