Last Season’s Standouts Have Gone Quiet as the New Süper Lig Campaign Begins
The first six rounds of the 2026-27 Süper Lig season have produced a striking contrast. Several leading attackers have made an immediate impact, while players who were central to their teams’ success last year are struggling to reproduce that form.
Trabzonspor’s Muhammed Salah leads the scoring race with seven goals from six appearances. Fenerbahçe have also found early attacking momentum: Vedat Muriç has scored six times, while Mason Greenwood has contributed four goals and two assists. Beşiktaş’s new signing Dusan Vlahovic has scored five goals in six matches. Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen has netted six times in four appearances, despite missing two games during this period because of injury.
Against that backdrop, the slow starts of several familiar names stand out. The opening weeks have not erased their past achievements, but they have raised questions about whether last season’s influence can be matched.
Galatasaray’s title-winning wingers have yet to fire
Galatasaray’s wide players played an important role in last season’s championship campaign. So far, however, their contribution to the scoreboard has been limited.
Barış Alper Yılmaz finished 2025-26 with eight goals and 11 assists. He also began that campaign strongly, recording three goals and two assists in the first six league rounds. This season, he has played six league matches without scoring or setting up a goal.
Yunus Akgün ended last season with seven goals and nine assists, including two goals and one assist during its first six weeks. His return at the same stage this time is one goal, with no assist reported.
Leroy Sané, who scored seven goals and supplied five assists in his first Süper Lig season, had opened last year with a goal and an assist in six games. He has yet to register either in the opening six rounds of 2026-27.
A lack of direct goal contributions does not necessarily mean these players have had no influence on matches. Wingers can create space, draw defenders away and help their teams progress the ball. Still, for players whose previous output set a high benchmark, the absence of goals and assists is an obvious change.
Kerem Aktürkoğlu is still waiting for a league goal
At Fenerbahçe, Kerem Aktürkoğlu has not yet found his scoring touch in the league. The Turkey international completed last season with eight goals and seven assists, and had provided two assists in the first six rounds of 2025-26.
This time, he has appeared in five league matches without scoring. His only recorded assist came in Fenerbahçe’s 8-0 victory over Eyüpspor. His shooting numbers have also fallen: last season, the 27-year-old averaged 0.8 shots on target per match, compared with 0.2 per game in 2026-27.
That drop offers one possible measure of why his early output has been modest. Fewer efforts reaching the target can mean fewer chances to score, although the figure alone cannot explain whether the cause lies in positioning, service, confidence or the opposition’s defending.
Onuachu and Oh are producing less than before
Paul Onuachu remains on the scoresheet, but his start is behind last year’s pace. The Nigerian striker finished 2025-26 with 22 goals and two assists, sharing the Golden Boot with Eldor Shomurodov. He scored three times in the first six rounds of that campaign; this season, he has two goals over the same number of matches.
Beşiktaş forward Hyeon-Gyu Oh has had a quieter opening. After joining the club midway through last season, he made an immediate impression, recording six goals and one assist in 13 appearances. His first six matches brought three goals and an assist. In six league outings this season, he has yet to score and has registered one assist.
New signings are also under pressure to deliver
The slow starts are not limited to players who were already at their clubs last year. Galatasaray’s Rafael Leão, signed for a reported €38 million, has yet to score or assist in four appearances-three in the league and one in the Champions League.
Fenerbahçe’s Romelu Lukaku is also still waiting for his first direct contribution. He has featured in eight matches: five in the Süper Lig and three in the Champions League, including two qualifying games. Despite those opportunities, he has not yet scored or provided an assist.
For expensive arrivals, expectations tend to arrive before the goals do. A short run without a contribution does not determine whether a transfer will succeed, but it can intensify scrutiny, especially when the team has invested heavily and supporters expect an immediate return.
Why early-season form can be misleading
Six matches provide a useful snapshot, but not a complete verdict. A player’s output can be affected by injuries, changes in role, limited playing time, new teammates or a different tactical approach. Even a short spell without goals may turn quickly if a forward starts receiving better service or converts one important chance.
At the same time, the statistics highlight where teams may look for improvement. Galatasaray will want more from the wide players who helped drive their title-winning attack. Fenerbahçe need Kerem to become more involved in dangerous finishing positions, while Beşiktaş will hope Oh can rediscover the sharpness he showed after arriving last season. Trabzonspor, meanwhile, will be looking for Onuachu to build on his two goals and move closer to his previous scoring pace.
The contrast between the league’s early leaders and last season’s standout performers makes the first six rounds especially intriguing. Salah, Muriç, Greenwood, Vlahovic and Osimhen have started quickly; several established names are still searching for rhythm. The next stretch of fixtures will show whether these quiet openings are temporary dips or signs that the balance of attacking responsibility is shifting.