Okay Yokuşlu could be the next signing

Following the arrivals of Marco Benassi and Jordan Veretout, the Fiorentina midfield seems pretty well-stocked even if Milan Badelj leaves, which doesn’t sound as certain as it did a few weeks ago. However, everyone knows that the Viola aren’t afraid to sign players who might seem redundant (e.g., the 29 goalkeepers last year), so that’s why we’re willing to believe the news out of Turkey that Trabzonspor midfielder Okay Yokuşlu could be the next Corvino signing.

Yokuşlu is certainly an interesting player. For one thing, he’s quite large: 6’3 and 190 (191 cm and 86 kg) is NFL size, and he’s got the strength and aerial ability to match. However, he’s much quicker than you’d expect across the ground, too, and shows promise on the ball as both a passer and as a dribbler. To round it off, he’s a solid tackler and positions himself well. Basically, he’s a good all-rounder; capable of tracking back and doing the dirty work, but also willing and able to make runs in advance of the strikers when he sees the space. He’s also got an eye for the spectacular goal.

However, Okay signed an extension in March to keep him Trabzon until 2020, so he won’t come cheap. He could be worth the roughly €8 million it would take to pry him away from the Karadeniz Fırtınası (as an aside, that’s a metal nickname for a soccer club), considering that he’s already got 5 senior caps in a loaded Turkey midfield.

The problem, of course, is that it’s hard to see where he’d fit in. Marco Benassi is surely going to take one of the midfield spots, and Milan Badelj looks like the best fit for the other one. Jordan Veretout and Carlos Sánchez both fill important niches as reserves, and it doesn’t make sense to have 5 starting-quality players for just 2 spots when the squad has so many other holes. While we’d like to believe it, this seems like it could just be smoke and mirrors to distract us from Corvino’s other machinations.