---
title: "Arsenal face continental fight for free-kick specialist"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/arsenal-face-continental-fight-for-free-kick-specialist/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Josh Challies"
section: "Arsenal Football Club"
published: "2015-09-29T19:30:54Z"
modified: "2015-09-29T19:30:54Z"
---

# Arsenal face continental fight for free-kick specialist

[![Hakan Calhanoglu](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hakan-Calhago-500x280.jpeg)](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hakan-Calhago.jpeg)We have a lot of hipsters here in the Transfer Tavern that like to order obscure wines that we don’t stock and discuss footballers from far-flung places that they believe will be the next best thing- though many of them wouldn’t get into our pub team.

One man that would single-handedly win us our local pub league though is Bayer Leverkusen’s Hakan Calhanoglu, a player who the same hipsters are now abandoning because his impressive talents have seen him become too mainstream.

[Earlier this year Arsenal were linked to Calhanoglu](https://talksport.com/football/arsenal-bound-bundesliga-stars-who-could-be-heading-emirates-summer-150316139891), dubbed the new Mesut Ozil by some, whilst on Deadline Day [Manchester United were reported to be on the verge of a swoop](https://metro.co.uk/2015/09/01/hakan-calhanoglu-to-begin-manchester-united-career-after-agreeing-26-4million-transfer-report-5371152/); which never happened.

Now though, any interested parties will [face competition from Italian giants AC Milan](https://talksport.com/football/arsenal-transfer-report-ac-milan-aim-fight-gunners-interest-land-new-mesut-ozil)– who are desperate for the free-kick specialist to become a major addition to their ranks.

The news will irk the Arsenal punters in the corner, who believe the Turkish sensation would be a perfectly-crafted replacement to ageing midfielder Santi Cazorla.

Calhanoglu is now in his second season with Bayer Leverkusen, after moving across the Bundesliga from Hamburg last summer.

**Arsenal fans, would Hakan Calhanoglu be a decent addition to your side? Could he really be the** **next Mesut Ozil? Let us know what you think in the comments.**