Ahead of his arrival at Aston Villa this summer, talented youngster Yasin Ozcan provided a glimpse of why he might have caught the eye of those at the club.
As per the club’s statement in February, a deal was agreed with Kasimpasa to sign the 19-year-old, before he returned to the Turkish outfit on loan for the remainder of the current campaign.
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The expectation is that he’ll join up with the Villa squad for our pre-season preparations, and time will tell if he is able to make a significant impression on Unai Emery over the summer to warrant a spot in his plans for the next campaign.
Given his age and inexperience at the top level though, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if he were to be loaned out again at some point to continue his development, but it’s still fascinating to keep an eye on him this season to see what kind of player Villa might get.
Of course, as a centre-half, who can also play at left-back, the most important aspect of his game is his ability to defend, and that will be the strong foundation he builds on if he is to have a long-term future at Villa.
With his physicality and athleticism, he’s shown to be a resilient defender capable of holding his own in duels and with his reading of the game, but naturally, there is still room for improvement in that facet of his game.
However, as a modern-day centre-half, more is now needed from players to impact the offensive phase with their ability to build out from the back, and particularly given that’s a key principle in the style of play that Emery has tried to instil at Villa, new signings will be in that mould.
We’ve seen how Pau Torres has influenced that in the same position, as his composure and technical ability have been pivotal in Villa’s transformation into a ball-playing side who want possession and to control games.
As seen in the video below, Ozcan gave us a glimpse of his ability to do that as he registered an assist in Kasimpasa’s win over Eyupspor this past weekend, with a lovely flighted long pass that set his teammate on his way to scoring their opening.
The vision, the way in which he orchestrates the run and the execution of the pass are all very promising, and we’ve seen Pau prise opposing defences open with similar passes over the past two seasons to give us another route to goal.
Ozcan has continued to impress this season having made 31 appearances, and will hopefully arrive in England a better player than six months ago when Villa signed him. Further, it’s hoped that we see more of the play below in a Villa shirt in the coming years as a potential long-term successor to the likes of Pau and Tyrone Mings in that left-sided centre-back role.
Additionally, with his versatility to play at left-back and with Lucas Digne edging closer to the final 12 months of his contract, he could double up as an important depth option behind Ian Maatsen in that position, if he proves himself capable.
Touch of Pau Torres to this assist from incoming Villa talent Yasin Ozcan yesterday. Has continued to impress this season it seems, like the fit/forward thinking from the club for that position. Looking forward to seeing how he integrates in the summer.#avfc #UTV https://t.co/4cyKkNCUjW
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) May 11, 2025
