Brentford have been renowned for their shrewd transfer activities, but one former Premier League manager disrupted their plans in the summer.
With the experienced Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock entering the twilight of their careers, the Bees looked to secure their latest bargain to bolster their backline, as they look to retain their position as an established Premier League team.
As they have done successfully in the past, with acquisitions like Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo, Brentford looked for talent abroad before setting their sights on a Turkish wonder kid.
Jose Mourinho blocked Brentford pursuit of Yusuf Akcicek
Fenerbahce youngster Yusuf Akcicek has emerged as a serious talent in Turkey, catching the attention of Brentford in the process.
At just 19, he has been trusted in massive Europa League fixtures, featuring in each of the last 7, as well as heated derbies away from home.
Following a 0-0 away draw against arch-rivals Galatasaray in March, Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho compared him to four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane.
‘I played Rapha Varane when he was 18 and I was not wrong. And I am not wrong with this kid, big personality and is very confident.’
As Brentford eyed a move for the highly rated youngster, Club Director Lee Dykes told Sports Digitale:
“We watched Yusuf Akcicek for 12 months. We first moved to bring him into the Brentford B team. Yusuf wasn’t everyone’s target at the time. Then Mourinho really liked him and wanted to keep him”.
Brentford failed to get their man and Mourinho has since made his ‘new Raphael Varane’ a key part of his team.
Akcicek now a target for Manchester United
Manchester United’s defenders have been hampered by injuries this season, and in a system heavily focused on 3 centre-backs, it has been quite a problem for Ruben Amorim.
Lisandro Martinez and Lenny Yoro have missed large parts of the season, along with new signing Ayden Heaven having been stretchered off in the win at Leicester.
Having received such high praise from one of the best managers of all time, the 19-year-old has inevitably attracted attention from big clubs.
| Yusuf Akcicek 24/25 stats | Apps | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| Europa League | 7 | 1 | 1 | 526′ |
| Süper Lig | 6 | – | – | 250′ |
| Türkiye Kupasi | 4 | 1 | – | 284 |
| Total | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1,060 |
That is according to Fanatik, who stated Manchester United alongside fellow Premier League side Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing the defender this summer.
As the experienced Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans look to enter the end of their Manchester United careers, Ruben Amorim will be desperate to add to his backline in the summer as they look to bounce back from what has been an underwhelming season.
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