Efe Akman: Galatasaray wonderkid walks in his father's footsteps - on his way to Roma?

Efe Akman: Galatasaray wonderkid walks in his father's footsteps - AS Roma bound?

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The name Akman brings up positive memories among Galatasaray fans. Ayhan Akman played for Galatasaray from 2001 to 2012 and won four championships, was part of the team that reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League in the 2001/02 season, and played 328 games for the club. Eleven years later, the son of the current director of football, Efe Akman, is trying to walk in his father’s footsteps.

Only 17, Efe Akman is considered the biggest talent at the current Turkish champions—even though he is yet to feature for the first team. But he has highlighted his talent for the academy teams and when playing in friendlies for the first team. Akman is already being compared with the hottest talent in Turkish football: Arda Güler. The 18-year-old left Fenerbahçe and joined Real Madrid last summer for €20 million plus €10m in performance-based add-ons.

Galatasaray expert and journalist Nevzat Dindar is certain that Akman has the potential to beat out Güler’s transfer fee one day. Dindar claimed in June on Twitter (today X) that Akman could leave the club for at least €50m. He would have two or three times as much talent as Güler. “The comparison isn’t exactly fair as Güler made his debut as a 16-year-old with the first team,” Transfermarkt Turkey Editor Sinan Yener said. “Nonetheless, Akman has potential, and it is possible that once he makes it to the first team, he could leave for a lot of money.”

Indeed, the midfield talent, who is currently the captain of Turkey’s U18 national team, could move sooner rather than later abroad—to be more precise to Italy, where AS Roma has reportedly secured a first refusal to sign Akman and Yusuf Demir when they sold Nicolò Zaniolo to Galatasaray. A glance at the Transfermarkt database reveals that five Turkish players have played for Roma. But only Zeki Çelik is in the first-team squad at the moment.

While Akman’s father, Ayhan, spent his entire career in Turkey and, first and foremost, at Galatasaray, it looks like his son could choose a different path. And then there is Hamza Akman. Two years older than his brother Efe, he is already a member of the first-team squad at the Istanbul-based giants. Unlike Efe, Hamza has already managed two appearances, but he isn’t playing a significant role yet in head coach Okan Buruk’s plans.

“Hamza is more of a classical midfielder,” Yener said. “As a result, he doesn’t have any outstanding attributes that separate him from other players playing in the same position. Efe is a different case. He has more qualities and is more variable. That makes him a very different prospect to his brother.”

The younger Akman has been only used in the U19 this season, where he has also played five games in the UEFA Youth League as a no.6 and as a no.8. “He has very good ball control and is courageous when he has the ball,” Yener said. “Despite that, Akman is very good in tight spaces and has good ball distribution. He is a very good dribbler and can play with both feet. That helps him to get out of difficult situations. The way he plays, he can make a difference.” But Akman must improve physically. “Sometimes, in one-on-one situations, he still struggles.” Yener also pointed out that he could be more dangerous in the attack.

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2006 and 2007. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.