The tenacious Turkish midfielder has agreed terms
Doesn’t that just feel good to say? Tuncay has undergone a medical with Bolton Wanderers and the signing is due to be announced at any point. There are no official word on terms of the deal yet but what we can gather is a year long loan from Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga with an option to make the move permanent that’s in the region of £3 million.
After starting out his career in Turkey and featuring prominently for Fenerbahce from 2002 - 2007 where he won the Turkish league title three times in five years and scored 12 Champions League goals, including a hat trick against Manchester United. After over 150 appearances for the Istanbul based club, Tuncay moved to the Premier League and prominently featured for Middlesbrough for the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 seasons before the team was relegated to the Championship. He made three appearances for the side in the 2009/2010 season before Stoke snatched him up. In his time at Middlesbrough, Tuncay managed 8 goals for each of the seasons in the Premier League and won four club awards for his work in 08/09 including the Player’s and Garmin Player of the Year awards, the Official Supporter’s Club Prize, and their Terrace Legends award.
His Stoke seasons were a little bit quieter as he scored 8 times in 55 appearances. Tuncay struggled to break into the Stoke first team and looked for a move away from the Britannia in January 2010. On the last day of the transfer window, he signed at Wolfsburg for a reported fee of €5.2 millon. The second half of the 2010/2011 Bundesliga season saw him make only 4 appearances. Tuncay is also a Turkish international and has featured for the national side at every level. He has scored 22 in 80 appearances for the senior squad including 3 during the 2008 European Championships. Turkey have failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2006 and 2010.
Tuncay Sanli is a midfield engine much in the way that Stuart Holden is in that he’s tenacious, unwilling to give up, and looking to go forward. His ability to score at the Premier League level makes him a very valuable commodity in this Bolton side. When he left Stoke, Matt Le Tissier said of Tuncay:
"If they [Boro] had 11 Tuncay's they'd be in the top half of the table; this boy is quality, he works his socks off as well. He showed great technique with the overhead kick and was a great example for the rest of the team – it's just a shame there are not a few more like him in the side."
Just have a look at this goal: