Sergen Yalçın names Turkey squad for Belgium and France, without Kerem Aktürkoğlu

Fans had one question on their minds today: is Kerem Aktürkoğlu in? The answer is no. Turkey's new coach Sergen Yalçın has named his provisional squad for the games against Belgium and France, and the Fenerbahçe winger is not on the list.

What happened?

Yalçın announced the squad at a live press conference that started at 14.00. It was held at the Orhan Saka Conference Hall in the TFF's Riva training complex (the Turkish Football Federation's national team base). The games are part of the UEFA Nations League, Europe's national team competition.

Here is the full list of 26 players:

Goalkeepers: Berke Özer, Ersin Destanoğlu, Serhat Öztaşdelen, Uğurcan Çakır

Defenders: Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Emirhan Topçu, Eren Elmalı, Merih Demiral, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Mustafa Eskihellaç, Ozan Kabak, Zeki Çelik

Midfielders: Can Uzun, Arda Güler, Orkun Kökçü, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Aral Şimşir, İsmail Yüksek, Salih Özcan

Forwards: Barış Alper Yılmaz, Enes Ünal, Deniz Gül, İlhan Fakılı, Oğuz Aydın, Yunus Akgün

Why is everyone talking about it?

Aktürkoğlu is the obvious headline. Fans had followed his recent form closely, so his absence stands out.

There are other talking points too. Berke Özer and Enes Ünal were invited, and Yalçın left out four players from the previous squad. Defender Mert Müldür, who was not called up, reacted with a post on social media.

The list is also the first real look at how the new coach thinks. It shows which experienced names he trusts and which younger players he wants to see up close.

What came before?

Yalçın took over after Turkey parted ways with Vincenzo Montella. Earlier this year, Türkiye also named squads for its World Cup play-off matches. These Belgium and France games are among the first matches of the Yalçın era.

What's next?

This is a provisional squad, so the final group will take shape closer to the games. Watch for how Yalçın uses the midfield, with Arda Güler, Orkun Kökçü and Hakan Çalhanoğlu all on the list.