Offering flexibility is something of a must in the modern game. Aston Villa is awaiting the arrival of Yasin Özcan, a 19-year-old who is wrapping up his season in the Turkish Super Lig with Kasimpasa. Before making the move to B6, however, he will first need to help his home country during their upcoming fixtures.
Özcan has been named to the Türkiye squad that will soon travel to the United States for two friendlies. The defender offers versatility as someone who can comfortably play center back or left back. The appeal and potential are clear.
First things first, however, Özcan will help Türkiye when they play the United States on June 7th and then Mexico on June 11th. These fixtures will be a good testing ground for a Vincenzo Montella side that will then have early September to look forward to for the country's World Cup qualifiers.
They are in Group E with Spain, Georgia, and Bulgaria. While the Spaniards would be expected to win the group and make it to the 2026 World Cup, finishing second and advancing to the ensuing World Cup playoffs is a doable feat for any of the remaining teams.
When Özcan arrives at Villa, there is a lot of potential that explains why Monchi and Unai Emery wanted to add him to the squad. Already with a good CB option in Pau Torres, in a similar manner, the Turkish defender does well in picking out passes from the back.
An area he also does well in is his positioning. For a young player, especially, it can be quite easy to get lost. Özcan recovers well and often finds the right angles to give a solid tackle. When stopping his opponent, he also often does a good job of immediately initiating the attack.
Good foundation for Aston Villa defender to build on
For Kasimpasa, he was a regular starter. That professional level of experience should help him to adjust to the Premier League that much quicker.
A lot is being made of who is likely to leave Villa. Depending on how things shake out, there could be a third quality left back option or center back choice for Emery to make, depending on what happens throughout the rest of the summer.