Ferdi Kadioglu is the only defender among the nine signings made by Brighton & Hove Albion for a combined cost of nearly £200million in the summer transfer window.
The Netherlands-born Turkish international chose Brighton instead of staying at Fenerbahce, where a new deal would have made the 24-year-old “one of the highest-paid left-backs in Europe”, according to his former manager Jose Mourinho.
And Kadioglu, described to The Athletic by Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler as a “fighter”, made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Ipswich Town at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton pursued Kadioglu’s signature throughout the summer, eventually agreeing a £25million ($33m) fee after Fenerbahce’s financial blow of failing to make it through the Champions League qualifiers.
They were determined to add Kadioglu to their defensive options. He has signed a four-year deal, with the option of a further year. Hurzeler says: “He gives us flexibility. He can play at right-back or left-back. He has also played (in midfield) as a No 6 and No 8, so he fits perfectly into our profile.”
Kadioglu was heading in the opposite direction to Brighton seven years ago. Born in Arnhem, near the German border in the eastern Netherlands, he grew up from the age of eight in the youth academy of his local club NEC Nijmegen.
His potential was evident from an early age. In August 2016, Kadioglu became the youngest player to represent Nijmegen in the top-flight Eredivisie, at 16 years and 326 days. That season, however, ended in relegation. Meanwhile, Brighton were promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.
Kadioglu, speaking exclusively to The Athletic, said: “It was sad that we were relegated, but it was important for me as a young player and for my career to get playing time. It was not so bad and it earned me a move.”
Kadioglu moved to Fenerbahce as an 18-year-old in July 2018, when former Netherlands and Barcelona midfielder Phillip Cocu was in charge of the Turkish giants.
Cocu only lasted for a short period after that and Kadioglu feared initially that the move was a mistake. He said: “In the first season, I played just one match. You are thinking ‘S***, this is not the right thing’. I spoke Dutch with Cocu, so communication was easy, but after two or three months he was sacked.
“It was a big step, coming from a small city in Holland to move to Istanbul. It was huge for me and it was not easy; a new team, a new style of play. Everything was new, so I needed time to adapt.”
Managerial turbulence was also a challenge. Kadioglu had 10 managers in six seasons at Fenerbahce, but he gradually got to grips with life in Turkey to emerge as a key player for the club. He averaged a goal contribution once every five games (18 goals and 22 assists in 204 appearances), gaining Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League experience.
“I am very happy with what I achieved,” he said. “I kept believing in my qualities and in the end, everything was fine.”
Mourinho was Kadioglu’s manager for less than three months, but that was long enough to leave a lasting impression. “He really likes to win everything,” said Kadioglu. “He wants just to win the game. That is the most important thing and he has some tricks to do that.
“The biggest lesson I learned from him is game management. Fabian has also spoken about that to us. If you are leading 1-0 or it is a tight match, to be smart in some situations.”
Mourinho recognised that Kadioglu’s heart was set on a move to Brighton. Speaking to Turkish media following Fenerbahce’s 3-0 win over Alanyaspor in the domestic Super Lig at the end of August, Mourinho said: “The club didn’t want to sell Ferdi Kadioglu and they made a great offer. If Kadioglu had accepted, he would have been one of the highest-paid left-backs in Europe.
“But he wanted to leave. You could already feel it in the matches. He couldn’t show his great performance. His body was here, but his soul was not here. He’s a very good player. A wise and pragmatic decision was made. A great player from our team left, but he wasn’t here anyway. We have to move on.”
Although it was a wrench to leave Fenerbahce, Kadioglu is convinced he has made the right choice. He said: “I was there for six years. It was a very difficult situation. The fans love me, I really like the club. It was amazing to play in front of those fans, especially in big games. It was so loud. Sometimes they whistle and you can’t hear anything. During the match, it’s difficult to understand what your team-mates are saying.
“They wake up with football and they sleep with football. But I think after the Euros (with Turkey) it was time to make a new step to a bigger league, to improve myself, and the plan of Brighton was really interesting.
“They have shown players can improve here and afterwards, they sell the players to a bigger team. So, the plan was great. The coach was very clear in his explanation. I am very happy to be here.”
Kadioglu will need his fighting qualities to establish himself as a regular starter at Brighton. On the left side of the defence, he faces competition from Pervis Estupinan.
The Ecuador international became one of the best left-backs in the Premier League after succeeding Marc Cucurella when the Spaniard was sold to Chelsea in the summer of 2022. Estupinan encountered injury problems last season but he is back in contention after ankle surgery.
On the right side of the back four, Brighton have experienced Dutchman Joel Veltman and Ghana international Tariq Lamptey. England Under-21 international Jack Hinshelwood was used at right-back last season, when breaking into the team under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi, and at left-back this season under Hurzeler. Kadioglu took over from Hinshelwood at left-back after 68 minutes against Ipswich. His attacking mindset can be seen from his touch map below.
Like Hinshlewood, James Milner was moved around the pitch last season, although under Hurzeler, the 38-year-old has played in his preferred role as a central midfielder.
The depth of competition means Kadioglu will need to be on his game. He said: “There are great players here on both sides of the pitch. I have to show myself to the coach. I need some time to adapt to the team amd the league.
“I was used to playing every three days in Turkey because we also played in Europe. But here the intensity during the game is much higher, so that will be the biggest difference.”
Brighton do not make signings based solely on how a player performs in a tournament for his country. Kadioglu was a target before he represented Turkey at the European Championship in Germany in the summer.
His father is Turkish, his mother is Dutch-Canadian, so he had the choice of representing Turkey, the Netherlands or Canada. Turkey invited him to play in a tournament in Germany as a boy. He did not take up the offer and went on to play for the Netherlands from under-16 to under-21 level, with Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo as a team-mate, before switching to Turkey in 2022.
Hurzeler, speaking after the Carabao Cup win against Crawley in August, told The Athletic: “He does a lot of running. You saw that in the Euros, he never gives up. He is a fighter.”
These qualities were highlighted by a passage of play in Turkey’s 2-1 defeat by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals at the Euros. In the clips (below), Kadioglu is the last defender as the opponents break quickly when a corner is headed clear. He has to react quickly to prevent Jeremie Frimpong from sprinting clear with a free run at goal.
He makes up ground across the pitch to cut off Frimpong with a covering tackle.
The danger is not over. Turkey are still short of defensive numbers when Wout Weghorst tries to latch onto the loose ball, with Kadioglu on the floor.
Kadioglu is tenaciously back up on his feet to make a second ball-winning tackle, this time on Weghorst.
The ball breaks to Kadioglu’s team-mate Arda Guler and a counter-attack is averted. This example is particularly relevant to Hurzeler’s Brighton, as the German likes his side to defend with a high line.
Hurzeler also says of Kadioglu: “He has good dribbling, makes good runs in half-spaces.” The full-back’s attacking qualities were highlighted during Turkey’s 2-1 victory over Austria in their last-16 clash at the Euros.
The clip below shows him advancing across the halfway line to collect a square pass, ready to engage opposing defender Stefan Posch.
He shifts the ball from his left to his right foot, evading Posch’s challenge with a change of pace down the wing.
Posch is left in vain pursuit as Kadioglu progresses the play into the Austrian penalty area.
His shot is deflected wide of the far post for a corner, denying him his first competitive goal for his country (he scored in a 3-2 friendly win in Germany last November).
As well as their playing abilities on the pitch, Brighton also identify new signings based on how they could fit into the dressing-room environment and match the club’s ethos.
Hurzeler says of Kadioglu: “He is a great character, open-minded. He always tries to improve. He came in the building and gives us a lot of positivity, a lot of smiles. That is really important. He fits perfectly into the Brighton family, on and off the pitch.”
Kadioglu spoke to The Athletic at a club event supporting a campaign by the Air Ambulance Charity of Kent, Surrey and Sussex to train people in lifesaving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and how to use a defibrillator
(Top photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
