Beşiktaş seeing the best of Gökhan Töre

Things have changed since the last time Beşiktaş faced Portuguese opposition. When Beşiktaş took on Braga in 2012, they looked a side eager to beat their rivals at their own game, the Black Eagles boasting four Portuguese players and a Portuguese coach, Carlos Carvalhal. 

Three of those Selecção players – Simão Sabrosa, Hugo Almeida and Manuel Fernandes – have moved on; and even Ricardo Quaresma is no longer 'Q7', instead 'Q17', the coveted No7 shirt having been handed to budding Turkish international Gökhan Töre.

The 23-year-old's equaliser against Sporting CP on matchday two enabled Beşiktaş to establish a hold on second place in Group H, two points shy of Lokomotiv Moskva and, perhaps crucially, three clear of Sporting in third. It was his second goal since the summer in all competitions, and considering he also has five assists, cemented the impression this could be a coming-of-age season for the former Chelsea, Hamburg and Rubin Kazan tyro.

In his third campaign at Beşiktaş, the midfielder is playing with more maturity, taking responsibility when his team need him most. In the space of the last fortnight, he has scored an equaliser at Gençlerbirliği – an uncharacteristic header – and set up Mario Gomez for the winner in last Sunday's derby against Fenerbahçe.

Gökhan Töre started his club career at Hamburg©Getty Images

The change in the Cologne-born winger's game is not just about goals, though. In his first two terms in Istanbul, his reputation was not confined to the pitch, with off-field controversies overshadowing his talent. His ability to beat a man remains, but now his decision-making seems to have come on too – when to pass, when to hit it long or short, and when best to sneak into the box and shoot.

Gökhan's success gives hope for a larger-scale rebuilding project under way at Beşiktaş. Quota rules on foreign players may, in part, have prompted the club to start collecting foreign-born Turkish players – the likes of Oğuzhan Özyakup, Veli Kavlak, Olcay Şahan – yet the policy is paying off. European experience, good and bad, is helping toughen them up, and it is telling that since Şenol Güneş replaced Slaven Bilić as coach in June he has applied finishing touches rather than sweeping changes.

Whether Beşiktaş are the complete product remains to be seen, but given they top the Turkish Super League, things are certainly looking up. With an on-song Töre supplying the likes of Gomez, Cenk Tosun, José Sosa and Quaresma, they have every reason for optimism.

Gökhan Töre as an Under-17 international in 2008©Sportsfile