Why Norwich City should avoid playing a gamble on Emircan Altintas

According to The Pink’ Un, Norwich City have been credited with an interest in Emircan Altintas, who currently plies his trade with Umraniyespor in the TFF First League, the second tier of Turkish football. 

The Pink’ Un understands that the Canaries scouted the 24-year-old winger during Umraniyespor’s 4-0 victory over Altinordu last month and they could follow up their interest in the coming days. 

Altintas completed his footballing education in the youth ranks of Besiktas and Istanbul Basaksehir before a fruitful loan spell at Sultanbeyli Belediye Spor in the third-tier paved the way for the winger to establish himself in the first-team at Umraniyespor.

The right-footed attacker, who is capable of playing out wide on either flank and also through the centre in a No.10 role, has earned rave reviews for his performances in the Turkish second-tier this term.

The 24-year-old has been instrumental in Umraniyespor’s surge to second in the league standings, contributing with 7 goals and 2 assists in 9 games. 

The former Besiktas youth product has accumulated a tally of 27 goals and 15 assists in 96 appearances for Umraniyespor in all competitions till date and his burgeoning reputation as one of the best creative players in the Turkish second-tier has seemingly caught the eye of Norwich City, who are in desperate need of reinforcements to help them beat the drop in the Premier League. 

The Canaries are currently languishing at 19th place in the standings with just a couple of victories from their first eleven league fixtures and Daniel Farke has had a torrid time dealing with a long list of injuries in the first quarter of the campaign. 

Injuries to centre-backs Timm Klose, Christoph Zimmermann and Grant Hanley coupled with meagre returns of just 11 goals in 11 games epitomise the need for reinforcements at both ends of the pitch when the transfer window reopens in January. 

Lack of financial muscle prevented the club from completing deals for any marquee signings in the summer but the fans have every reason to be hopeful that the Canaries would conduct some significant business in January to give themselves a chance of beating the drop. 

To that end, Emircan Altintas looks like a bright player in the right age bracket for Norwich City but one does get the feeling that they need to bring in immediate game-changers in January to get themselves out of relegation trouble. 

The 24-year-old’s success in the Turkish second-tier hardly guarantees the same in the Premier League given the vast difference in quality and intensity between the two leagues in question. 

With all due respect to the winger’s credentials, Altintas is still very much unproven at the highest level and is yet to play a single game for any club in the top division, factors which make him a risky proposition for relegation-threatened Norwich City. 

Yes, the Canaries definitely need to bring in new players in January but they would be better off considering moves for players with proven Premier League pedigree, ones who could possibly come through the door and make an immediate difference after settling down quickly. 

Whoever they buy in January isn’t likely to get a lot of time to settle down at Carrow Road, with the team currently fighting against relegation, and someone like Emircan Altintas, who hasn’t ever played a game in the top division, is likely to find it extremely difficult to make an impact. 

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Verdict

With that in mind, Norwich would be wise to drop their interest in the unproven Turkish winger and turn their attention to tried and tested Premier League players in a bid to survive in the top-flight.