Bundesliga Prospect | Can Uzun: Can Eintracht Frankfurt’s teenage sensation elevate the club?
When Can Uzun scored three goals in the opening three games of the 2. Bundesliga last season, averaging a goal contribution every 57.6 minutes, all eyes descended on the attacking sensation. His performances would attract the attention of Europe’s elite clubs, but it was Eintracht Frankfurt who fought off stiff competition to sign the 18-year-old.
Arriving at Die Adler for €11m, Germany also missed out on Uzun after the youngster opted to represent Turkey, with roots in the north east of the country.
Primarily an attacking-midfielder, Uzun finished as Nürnberg’s top scorer last season with 19 goals and four assists in 32 games across all competitions. But the youngster doesn’t just possess clinical finishing in the final third. Only Hertha Berlin’s Fabian Reese and St. Pauli’s Elias Saad had more successful take-ons than Uzun (58) in the 2. Bundesliga, highlighting the player’s excellent technical dribbling and ability to go past his opposite number, something that Eintracht missed last season with the club’s highest in attacking positions being Junior Dina Ebimbe (42) and Omar Marmoush (39).
Uzun also topped the 2. Bundesliga for non-penalty xG (6.5) and also likes to pass into space, evident with his 10 through balls last season, two more than Niels Nkounkou, which could prove beneficial to Hugo Ekitiké, a player whom Eintracht have now signed on a permanent basis from Paris Saint-Germain.
With Ekitiké, Igor Mantanovic and Marmoush in attack, and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya – an arrival from Angers – Mario Götze and Fares Chaibi, Eintracht now have a new, and young, look in their attack which boasts plenty of exciting talent. Under Dino Toppmöller, they could certainly become a team to watch next season.
