FPL new signings: Kadioglu has potential as £4.5m defender

Brighton and Hove Albion confirmed the signing of 24-year-old Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m) from Fenerbahce last week.

The versatile defender is understood to have cost £25m and has signed a four-year deal after impressing for Turkey at Euro 2024.

Is the budget Fantasy Premier League (FPL) asset worthy of consideration, then, with other Brighton defenders available for a similar amount of money?

We take a look at Kadioglu’s prospects in this Scout Report.

HISTORY

Above: Ferdi Kadioglu’s career stats at Fenerbahce

Ferdi Kadioglu joined Fenerbahce from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen in 2018.

He quickly established himself as a key player and went on to make over 200 appearances for the Turkish club, scoring 18 goals and providing 22 assists.

Last term, he racked up three goals and five assists in 51 matches.

Despite representing the Netherlands as a youth international, Kadioglu made his debut for the Turkey national team in 2022.

He has since earned 20 caps, impressing during this summer’s European Championship, where he played every minute of their run to the latter stages of the tournament.

IN QUOTES

“I prefer to play left-back or right-back. I’m a player who likes the ball at my feet, carrying it forward and breaking lines. Also, I have a high work rate defensively and offensively. I think the fans can expect a player with a lot of energy.” – Ferdi Kadioglu

“I’m very excited because we are getting an excellent player and a great character. He has great ability, is a strong runner and very good at passing.

“He is predominantly a full-back and can play on the right or left side; he can also play in the centre of midfield. He is someone who is very keen to learn and develop, and with that in mind I’m confident he will adjust to the Premier League and adapt quickly to English football.” – Fabian Hurzeler

WHERE HE FITS IN AT BRIGHTON

So Fabian Hurzeler sees Kadioglu primarily as a full-back, who can also play in central midfield.

Given that versatility is one of his greatest strengths, either role shouldn’t be a problem.

According to Transfermarkt, he’s played 68 games at left-back, 37 at right-back and 16 in central/defensive midfield.

That said, he played exclusively as a full-back in the 2023/24 campaign, mainly on the left. Therefore, his main competition at Brighton will be:

• Right-back: Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey
• Left-back: Jack Hinshelwood, Pervis Estupinan

Given his recent impact on the left, both for club and country, it feels like this is Kadioglu’s best position. Right-back perhaps feels more likely at Brighton, however.

That’s because it’s arguably Albion’s weaker side, with Joel Veltman (£4.5m) and Tariq Lamptey (£4.5m), who is extremely injury prone, competing for starts. Kadioglu is right-footed, too, so in this scenario, he’d be able to hold the width and overlap Yankuba Minteh (£5.5m).

Central midfield feels less likely, given that his positioning still needs work, but injuries to Matt O’Riley (£5.5m), Mats Wieffer (£5.0m) and James Milner (£5.0m) could potentially open up a spot in the middle. Hurzeler was asked in Friday’s presser about whether O’Riley’s injury will affect the way he uses Kadioglu.

“What’s very positive is that Ferdi is very flexible, he can play a lot of positions. Now we have to see because he couldn’t train with the team a lot. We have to see today, tomorrow how he gets integrated. Maybe he will be an option in the squad, maybe not.” – Fabian Hurzeler

THE FPL PROSPECTS

Priced up at just £4.5m in FPL, Kadioglu could represent strong value for money once he settles.

His attacking numbers in 2023/24 illustrate just why Hurzeler has made the move.

Kadioglu averaged a key pass every 66.8 minutes for Fenerbahce last season.

He also created 12 chances at Euro 2024, which would have seen him top the defenders list if it weren’t for a midfielder classification.

He also ranked among the top players at the tournament for distance carrying the ball per 90 and tackles per 90.

In terms of goal threat, Kadioglu averaged an attempt every 100.8 minutes for Fenerbahce last term, a similar rate to Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.0m).

Of course, the Turkish Super Lig is not the strongest division in the world, but the underlying stats suggest he has all the ingredients to thrive, especially if Brighton can improve their clean sheet count under Hurzeler.

The early signs are good; Brighton have conceded just two goals in their opening three games and rank 10th for expected goals conceded (xGC), despite facing Arsenal at the Emirates.

Kadioglu missed out on a possible debut in Gameweek 3 after sustaining a minor hamstring problem in training on Friday. A gradual bedding in period perhaps feels likely, anyway.

“We haven’t used many new signings yet. It means that the players who are here already have good quality and they build a good foundation to win games.

“And now we try to integrate the new players as quickly as possible. We have to be clear that some players need more time and some players might integrate faster than others. It’s very important that we give them the time, because the Premier League is one of, or is, the most competitive league in the world.

“They have to adapt, because they have come from different cultures, from different leagues, and it’s not easy for them. But I am very confident that we will make it easy for them, because of the environment, the atmosphere at the training ground, very helpful staff.” – Fabian Hurzeler

Given the current uncertainty surrounding Kadioglu’s role/starting position, it may perhaps be best wait and see how Brighton line up over the new few weeks before investing.

Considering their testing upcoming schedule in Gameweeks 6-11 (che/TOT/new/WOL/liv/MCI), that seems a sensible approach at this point.

Gameweek 12 may provide the incentive to find a spot for Kadioglu, however.

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