Former Schalke player Levent Mercan has developed into a real leader in Turkey. A tactical trick from Andrea Pirlo played a decisive role in this.
In 2018/2019, the Schalke 04 U19 team secured first place in the A-Junior Bundesliga West for the last time, with one point more than Borussia Dortmund. Nevertheless, the team was unable to win the big title, losing to BVB, of all teams, in the semi-finals of the German championship (2:2, 0:2).
One name in particular from this successful team was remembered at Schalke: Malick Thiaw. The now 22-year-old made it into the first team and joined AC Milan in the summer of 2022 for almost nine million euros. In Italy, the central defender became a regular and even a German international.
Mercan, Kutucu and Aydin play important roles in Turkey
But Thiaw is not the only one who has fulfilled his dream of playing professional football. In addition to Lukas Ahrend (SSV Ulm 1848) and Sava-Arangel Cestic (Heracles Almelo), three players from this year found their luck in Turkey. Mehmet Aydin is now a regular for Trabzonspor, Ahmet Kutucu is the top scorer in the second division for Eyüpspor, and Levent Mercan is under contract with Fatih Karagümrük.
The latter in particular is causing a stir – yet Mercan hardly got a look-in with Schalke’s first team between 2019 and 2021. The midfielder, who was born in Recklinghausen, was only granted six substitutions and one 45-minute start in the midfield (one goal).
In the summer of 2021, he was initially loaned out to the Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük, where he was able to convince in 22 appearances, albeit mostly as a substitute, so much so that he was signed permanently the following summer.
Mercan becomes a regular after Pirlo’s changeover
In his first year under contract with Fatih Karagümrük, the legendary Andrea Pirlo, as coach, made a change that was to rapidly accelerate Mercan’s career. After a slow start to the season with a few brief appearances, the Italian, who was still coaching Karagümrük last season, moved the actual playmaker back to the left defensive side. Mercan immediately settled in there, only missing two more games and otherwise always starting.
Mercan is also set to start at left-back in the new season and has started the first 13 games. After the last starting lineup appearance of the nominal captain Salih Dursun, the 22-year-old has even taken over the armband and led the current 13th of the Süper Lig onto the field in the last twelve games.
He has so far been able to increase his market value to three million euros (via transfermarkt.de), which makes him the most valuable professional at Fatih Karagümrük. By way of comparison, at Schalke he would currently be the second most valuable player after Assan Ouedraogo (six million).
National team? “It would make me very proud”
It is clear that these performances have not gone unnoticed in Turkey. Mercan is even already being linked with the Turkish national team. After the narrow 2-1 defeat at league leaders Fenerbahce Istanbul at the weekend, the Turkish portal Ajansspor quoted him: “To make the national team would make me very proud. It’s what everyone wants to achieve. But right now, I’m focused on Karagümrük and we’re on the right track.”
Perhaps Mercan’s personal journey will take him back to Germany or even to Gelsenkirchen in the summer of 2024 – but then in the jersey of the Turkish national team.