Turkish football academies promote youth talent to major clubs

Youth football academies in Turkey are successfully transitioning young players to major professional clubs and senior squads.

In Trabzon, players from the Yetenekler Futbol Okulu have attracted interest from top-tier clubs. Specifically, 10-year-olds Barbaros Aydın and Yağız Aktaş have transferred to the Fenerbahçe youth system, while 11-year-old goalkeeper Kerem Tuna Yıldırım has joined Galatasaray. Ercan Aktaş, the school's coordinator, noted that the academy aims to develop talent and guide players toward major clubs like Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahçe.

In Sakarya, five players from the Sakaryaspor Futbol Academy have been promoted to the Sakaryaspor A Team. The promoted players include goalkeeper Mehmet Yusuf Can (born 2007), forward Yunus Emre Tekerci (born 2008), winger Ayberk Açıkgöz (born 2007), left back Erdem Dağlı (born 2007), and midfielder Baran Baranır (born 2008). Erdem Dağlı and Ayberk Açıkgöz were included in the 18-man match squad for the season opener against 1461 Trabzonspor.