Remembering When Söyüncü Became A Fox
The Foxes agreed an undisclosed fee to sign the defender on 9 August, 2018, when he put pen to paper on a five-year contract.
He had already made significant waves in Turkey and Germany after becoming the first player in history to move from his homeland’s second division to the Bundesliga.
A senior international for Turkey at the age of just 19 back in 2016, Söyüncü played 30 times in the Bundesliga during the 2017/18 campaign before Leicester secured his services in the summer.
He joined a group of central defenders at City that included Premier League winners Wes Morgan and Robert Huth, while fellow 2015/16 champion of England Christian Fuchs was also more than capable of moving to a central position.
Combined with Harry Maguire, who a year later departed for Manchester United, the young defender’s maiden season at King Power Stadium saw him play eight times in all competitions.
This included the Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester City, during which he faced Premier League stars Sergio Agüero, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.
His raw talent was being moulded at international level, too, and during 2018/19, he represented Turkey a further eight times, with his last action of the campaign yielding 90 minutes in a 2-0 friendly success over Uzbekistan in Alanya.
After the summer, Söyüncü linked up with his team-mates for his first pre-season as a Leicester star in Évian, while also playing in friendlies against Rotherham United, Scunthorpe, and finally City’s showpiece clash with Atalanta at King Power Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers had seen enough of his developing Turkey international to hand him a start against Wolverhampton Wanderers alongside the experienced Jonny Evans on 11 August – one year and two days to the day that he first signed for the Club.
It became evident that, under Rodgers, he had already developed into a promising prospect, and following his first appearance of 2019/20, he continued to impress the manager, his team-mates and the Blue Army.
Tales of incredible strength emerged from his fellow Foxes, who provided glimpses into his previously relatively unknown character.
Speaking in a recent interview with LCFCQ, Söyüncü revealed the support he receives from his team-mates, and that has no doubt helped him flourish as one of the Premier League’s most watchable defenders.
“There is a lot of pressure and responsibility on you as a player in the Premier League,” he told LCFCQ. “For me, I try to focus on my football. Whatever role is given to me, I try to do it to my best ability, and I try to listen to every comment or piece of input. Obviously, my coach and my team-mates – they all have input as well and that’s very important. With their help, I deal with that pressure.”
Their help and guidance have undoubtedly paid dividends. He has made 28 appearances in the Premier League this term, and has won 15 of those matches, boasting an additional 10 clean sheets in the process.
He currently sits sixth in the Premier League’s passing charts with 1,862 to his name, too, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Lewis Dunk the only central defender to have completed more passes.
It is clear that Söyüncü is a vital part of Rodgers’ well-oiled machine.