Orkun Kökçü stirs up trouble at Benfica and is making headlines again | OneFootball

Orkun Kökçü has been living a nightmare since he swapped Benfica for Besiktas. The former Eagles midfielder has played 14 matches for the historic Turkish club, but so far, he hasn’t scored any goals. The best the 24-year-old athlete has managed is a single assist, which is far too little considering the investment made in him.

In the summer transfer window of 2025, and after a row with Bruno Lage at the Club World Cup during a substitution, Orkun Kökçü’s departure became inevitable. The midfielder’s relationship with the Benfica coach was far from ideal, which forced the Luz club to negotiate with Besiktas in the last transfer window.

At that moment, another factor that weighed heavily on Benfica’s decision was the fact that this wasn’t Orkun Kökçü’s first disciplinary incident. Under Roger Schmidt’s management, the Turkish international had already made headlines by giving a controversial interview in which he stated that he would like to play for Liverpool.

Now, after the hefty investment of 30 million euros, Orkun Kökçü is not convincing Besiktas fans. The assist he recently provided against Konyaspor is far from enough, and the fans expect more from one of the team’s stars. The poor results of the club—where David Jurásek and Rafa Silva also play—the latter having scored recently—are not helping either.

Wearing the Benfica shirt, Orkun Kökçü – valued at 28 million euros – played 98 matches, scoring 19 goals and providing 22 assists. The Turkish international, who arrived from Feyenoord for 28 million euros, won a League Cup (2024/25) and a Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup (2023).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.