Micah Richards has waxed lyrical about a midfielder who is currently playing a starring role for his country at Euro 2024.
As the knockout stages of the competition edge closer, a handful of players have already emerged as key players for their respective countries.
One such player is Turkiye captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who played a pivotal role in his team’s qualification to the round of 16 with a fantastic goal on matchday three against Czechia.
The Inter Milan midfielder was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last year, brought his shooting ability to the fore as he broke the deadlock with a fierce right-footed strike.
Turkiye went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Cenk Tosun after Tomas Soucek restored parity, but Calhanoglu’s goal set them on their way to a crucial victory.
Micah Richards hails Hakan Calhanoglu’s all-action ability in midfield
Micah Richards and Gary Lineker discussed the midfielder’s ability, with the latter describing him as a ‘really talented’ footballer. Richards then intervened and went on a passionate rant about just how good Calhanoglu is as a player.
Speaking on the Rest is Football Podcast alongside Lineker and Alan Shearer, Richards said: “He’s a top player, he is. Because he was at, if my calculations are correct, he was at AC Milan, sort of playing as a number 10, then, and then he obviously, he goes to Inter Milan, and he plays a little bit deeper.
“So his role within the team, he can do both things, whether it’s crossing it in, he’s really good at set pieces, can play a free ball, can control the tempo of a game.
In January, Calhanoglu proclaimed himself as the best defensive midfielder in world football ahead of the likes of Rodri, Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich and Enzo Fernandez. Richards brought up those claims on the podcast, highlighting the 30-year-old as one of the best players at Euro 2024 so far.
Richards continued: “He’s been one of the standout players to me, and he’s not short of confidence. He said he’s better than Rodri, isn’t he?”
Former Tottenham target Calhanoglu shuts down summer transfer rumours
Calhanoglu was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham last summer, but a transfer never came to fruition as the midfielder remained at Inter Milan.
He went on to enjoy a successful season with the Nerazzurri as Simone Inzaghi’s side comfortably won the Serie A title.
Earlier this summer, he was once again linked with a move to Bayern Munich, with Christian Falk confirming the Bundesliga giants’ interest in him.
However, Calhanoglu poured cold water over claims that he could be on the move this summer by confirming his desire to remain at Inter in an Instagram post.
Whether Tottenham regret missing out on Calhanoglu is very much up for debate, given his advancing years.
But there is no doubting that over the past season they could have done with a midfielder with his technical quality and creative instincts, especially after James Maddison got injured.
Tottenham do remain in the market for midfield reinforcements and have been linked with Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, although he appears to be closer to Chelsea right now.
Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze is also on Tottenham’s radar, but with the 25-year-old currently with the England squad at Euro 2024, they might have to bide their time with this one.