Yunus Konak offered Lincoln City supporters an encouraging first glimpse of what he can bring to the side during Tuesday night’s emphatic Carabao Cup victory at Blackpool.
The 20-year-old was handed his Imps debut at Bloomfield Road, starting at the base of midfield after joining on a season-long loan from Brentford. Despite having only trained with his new teammates for a matter of days, he produced a composed display in possession and appeared determined to take responsibility whenever City had the ball.
Konak played 85 minutes before being replaced by Dom Jefferies, helping the Imps control long periods of a game they eventually won 4-1. He also came close to marking his first appearance with a goal early in the second half, striking a dropping ball from the edge of the area and forcing Bailey Peacock-Farrell into a save.
Asked whether his Turkish was improving as he worked with the midfielder, Tom Shaw joked:
“Improving, yeah, improving,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.
The City head coach was impressed by Konak’s willingness to receive possession and influence the game, qualities which had already been evident during the player’s first few training sessions with the squad.
“He’s a lovely footballer and you can see that. We’ve seen it in the first few days of training. He will give us a different dynamic and complement the other midfielders we’ve got in there.
“I thought he got hold of the ball, got us on top in the early part of the game. We’ve just got to teach him the Lincoln City way, which is the job of all the new signings, what we demand, what his teammates will demand of him.
“But looking at his mentality to the game, he loves footy and he’ll grow into that role in our midfield department.”
Konak’s debut formed part of a completely changed City side following Saturday’s Championship defeat against Portsmouth. Tanto Olaofe put the Imps ahead before Blackpool levelled through a Leighton Clarkson free-kick on the stroke of half-time, but the visitors took control after the break.
Tom Bayliss restored the lead shortly after Zak Ashworth had been dismissed for a second bookable offence, with Rob Street heading home a third moments later. Callum Elder completed the scoring in the 77th minute, converting Josh Honohan’s delivery at the back post to secure City’s place in the third round.
Konak arrived at Sincil Bank having recently signed a new five-year contract with Brentford. Born in Batman, Turkey, he developed in the Sivasspor academy and made his professional debut at 17 before starting the club’s next 16 league matches. His performances earned him a place on The Guardian’s 2023 list of the world’s leading players born in 2006.
Brentford signed him in January 2024, and he has since made 14 senior appearances for the Premier League club, including 10 in the league. Konak also gained Championship experience during a loan spell with Oxford United in the second half of last season, featuring 16 times, while he has represented Turkey at under-18 and under-21 level.
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