Abdulkadir Omur: The Turkish wunderkind who is reportedly closing in on a move to Anfield

Reports from Turkey on Monday suggested that Liverpool had agreed on a deal with Trabzonspor for the transfer of Abdulkadir Omur even though the reports were brushed aside by the Liverpool echo later in the day.

Omur has been one of the most talked about players in this transfer window with a host of European clubs chasing the signature of the so-called 'Turkish Messi.' This made me eager to find out what makes the 19-year-old worthy enough to be compared to arguably one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Who is Abdulkadir Omur?

My heroes are Messi and Iniesta. I like Iniesta because of his intelligence and vision on the pitch. I like Messi because of his free role on the pitch and the fact he beats defenders so easily. I tailor my individual training to be like them."

Born in Trabzon, Turkey in 1999, Omur joined the Trabzonspor youth team in 2011 after he was discovered by the club's scouting team when they were conducting trials in local schools in the town. After an impressive spell with the youth, he was called to Trabzonspor senior team in 2016 where he later made his first-team appearance against Adanaspor in the Turkish Cup. He later made his first Superlig debut after coming on in the 82nd minute against Istanbul Basaksehir. Ever since his first senior match with the club, he has featured in 49 appearances, scoring 5 goals. This season he has played in 16 appearances for the club and managed to score 2 goals and provided 3 assists.

Omur has also featured in every youth level for the Turkish national team and he was instrumental for the Turkish side that performed admirably in the 2015 UEFA European U17 championship. He is yet to receive an international cap but he already earned his first national team call up last year in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland.

What is his style of play?

Omur's a classic left footed playmaker

Abdulkadir Omur is a central attacking midfielder but he can also play in both the left and right side of the midfield. Whatever place he is called upon to play, his role still remains, a natural playmaker.

Blessed with brilliant technical abilities and creativity, he is one of the players you can call upon when there is a need to destroy solid defensive structures. Omur is very comfortable with the ball at his feet owing to his great close control, anticipation and awareness. He has the vision and awareness that makes him a natural playmaker and this is why he has the ability to find teammates in crowded areas of the pitch with incisive passes. He has the mold of a classic left-footed No. 10.

Aside from his creativity, Omur is also blessed with pace. He is the type of player who is very dangerous in transitions and uses his pace well to create havoc on breakaways. He also likes to take on players before cutting inside to create spaces to shoot or create. His long shot record is not bad after all.

He is a threat in the final third since he can create goal-scoring chances as well as shoot from distance. Many have compared his style of play to former Barcelona and Romania playmaker Gheorghe Hagi.

Will a move to England be good for him?

At only 19 years, Omur has so much to improve and the Premier League has always become a nightmare for young foreigners willing to make the next step of their careers. Omur is a talented young player but a move to the Premier League, especially to the bigger clubs, could be damaging to his early career.

He needs to move to a club where he will be granted enough playing time to continue his development and I am not sure if he will get that at Liverpool due to the depth in the squad.