Jayden Oosterwolde: Fenerbahçe’s Speed Demon in Defense
Club: Fenerbahçe
Nationality: Netherlands
Position: LB, LCB, LM
Preferred Foot: Left
Height: 6’4”/192cm
Age: 23
Strengths: speed, athleticism, strength, dribbling, ball-carrying, crossing, anticipation
Areas for Development: decision making
Over the past two seasons, Fenerbahçe have made some considerable strides on the domestic and international stage. The 2022/23 season would see them beat İstanbul Başakşehir in the Turkish Cup Final and end a 9-year trophy drought, whilst 2023/24 would see them make it all the way from the second qualifying round to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, where they fell to eventual champions Olympiacos.
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They also fell to MKE Ankaragücü in the Turkish Cup quarterfinals and boycotted the Turkish Super Cup Final, thus handing the title to Galatasaray. And whilst they racked up an astonishing 99 points, 32 ahead of third-placed Trabzonspor, they were denied their first league title in a decade, with Galatasaray edging them to the championship on the final day of the campaign with a record 102 points.
Despite losing Michy Batshuayi to archrivals Galatasaray on a free transfer, things are looking up at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. They’ve retained Çağlar Söyüncü on a permanent transfer and bolstered their attack with the signings of Allan Saint-Maximin, Oğuz Aydın and Cenk Tosun, they’ve brought in left back Levent Mercan, and they’ve also appointed José Mourinho as their new manager. Perhaps more importantly, they’ve kept hold of Dutch defender Jayden Oosterwolde.
Born in Zwolle to Surinamese and Indonesian parents, Oosterwolde began his development at local club ZAC before spending a decade at Twente. In 2022, he left the Netherlands and joined Parma, impressing in Serie B and leaving Italy after just one year, with Fenerbahçe signing him for €6 million in January 2023. He hasn’t looked back since then, scoring his debut goal against boyhood club Twente and emerging as a regular for the Turkish giants.
A stellar athlete with a good technical base, Oosterwolde’s electric speed and aerial presence makes him a multifaceted threat in defense. His recovery pace allows him to excel in high lines and defend large spaces, and at 6’4″, he is a physical unit who can cover ground quickly and hold his own in aerial duels.
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Not only is he quick, but he has good anticipation and can read when passes in behind are coming and will position himself better to match the winger and either intercept the pass or make a tackle. Generally, his timing of slide tackles is impressive due to his top recovery pace.
Oosterwolde has a broad physique with good core strength, giving him very good duel-winning capabilities, and he uses this strength effectively when carrying the ball to brush off any challengers. He is an effective, powerful ball-carrier who strides forward with conviction and speed, and he’s a good dribbler with quick feet for someone this tall.
As a LWB/LM, he would bomb forward overlapping the LW to create crossing opportunities where he would show accurate crossing ability. He defends wide areas well and is capable of progressing the ball, whether at left back or center back. When he receives the ball, he’s often looking to play long passes over the top, carry the ball forward or break the lines with his passing.
The Fenerbahçe defender is still a raw player. He needs coaching defensively in terms of positioning and to refine his skills, but his technical and physical foundation is a solid basis to build around. He needs a good defensive coach and a team who build up from their CBs, and one aspect in particular where he needs work with is his decision-making. Sometimes, he goes to ground too easily when he could just stay on his feet and avoid the risk of a dangerous tackle which could result in a red card, giving away a free-kick/penalty or an injury.
His passing success rate is okay but not amazing (80.3%), and although Fenerbahçe have a high possession rate (58.8%), their center backs aren’t typically tasked with breaking the lines — instead, that pressure is bestowed upon the fullbacks and midfielders. If Oosterwolde played in a team who built the ball up from their center backs, he could receive the ball comfortably and pass more frequently to the point where his pass accuracy would improve. It would also allow him to utilise his progressive tendencies more often.
Similarly to Tottenham’s Micky Van De Ven, he boasts a combination of his physicality, speed, ball-playing ability and height that would allow him to thrive as a center back in a back three or a back four or even as a left back. At 23, the sky is the limit for the Dutchman, and he has what it takes to thrive and become a genuine sensation in Turkey’s top-flight this season.
By: Ben Mattinson / @Ben_Mattinson_
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / ANP / Getty Images