Full name Jem Paul Karacan Name Jem Karacan Career start 1996 Weight 67 kg | Number 6 Height 1.75 m Playing position Role Footballer | |
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Date of birth (1989-02-21) 21 February 1989 (age 26) Similar People Bilal Kisa, Jose Rodriguez Martinez, Selcuk Inan, Koray Gunter, Sinan Gumus Profiles | ||
JEM KARACAN | Midfielder's post-Sheffield Wednesday reaction
Jem Paul Karacan (Turkish: Cem Karacan, [ˈdʒem kaɾaˈdʒan]; born 21 February 1989) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bolton Wanderers. Prior to his move to Bolton he played for Turkish club Galatasaray and Reading, as well as various loan spells. He has played internationally for the Turkish youth team, and has captained the U-21 side.
Contents
- JEM KARACAN Midfielders post Sheffield Wednesday reaction
- Jem karacan vs liverpool 02 01 2010
- Early life
- Reading
- Loan to Bournemouth and Millwall
- Return to Reading
- Galatasaray
- Loan to Bursaspor
- Trials
- Bolton Wanderers
- International career
- Career statistics
- Honours
- References
Jem karacan vs liverpool 02 01 2010
Early life
Karacan was born in Catford, London to a Turkish father and an English mother. Between the ages of seven and fourteen he played for the now defunct Wimbledon and left after they relocated to Milton Keynes. He had been offered a four-year contract at the club his father supported, Galatasaray, but refused citing language difficulties, "I couldn't go out there at only 14, not speaking the language and so on". Karacan joined Reading's Youth Academy instead, having been spotted playing against the Royals while on trial at Manchester United.
Reading
On 6 July 2007, he signed a two-year professional contract with Reading, and made his debut against Luton Town on 26 August in the League Cup, getting on the scoresheet.
Loan to Bournemouth and Millwall
Karacan joined Bournemouth on loan, initially for one month, on 18 October 2007. Karacan was put into the starting XI for Bournemouth on 20 October away to Millwall, where he made his league debut in Bournemouth's 2–1 defeat. His loan was subsequently extended to 6 January 2008. Karacan signed a further loan deal in the 2007–08 season on 20 March 2008, this time to Football League One side Millwall, which was originally due to run until 19 April 2008, but was extended to the end of the 2007–08 season.
Return to Reading
He scored against Aston Villa in a pre season match before the 2008–09 season, and scored his first professional goal for Reading in a League Cup win over Luton Town on 26 August 2008. Towards the end of 2008, he began to start a few matches after impressing in the reserves and following injuries to James Harper and Marek Matejovsky. He signed a new 2 and half-year contract in October 2008, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2010–11 season. He scored his first league goal in Reading's 2–2 draw with Blackpool FC on 13 April 2009, in the Championship. On 20 August 2011, Karacan made his 100th appearance in all competitions for Reading against Barnsley in a 2–1 defeat. During Reading's 2–0 victory over Leeds United on 6 April, Karacan suffered a broken ankle after a tackle by Michael Brown. He signed a new contract on 19 September 2012 keeping him at the club until June 2015. On 4 May 2013 Karacan scored his first Premier League goal with a low shot into the bottom corner in Reading's 4–2 away win against Fulham.
He began the 2013–14 season in good goalscoring form, netting twice in a 3–3 draw against Watford on 17 August. A month later he again suffered a serious injury in a game against Leeds and had to be substituted after nine minutes. The club later confirmed that he had ruptured both his anterior cruciate and medial ligaments and would be out for six to nine months. After more than a year out, he entered the final part of his recovery in October 2014.
For the 2014-15 season, Karacan changed his squad number to 21, due to his admiration for Italian maestro Andrea Pirlo. He made a brief return from his injury nightmare on 10 January 2015, coming on as a late substitute against Middlesbrough, but another setback kept him out for a further two months. He scored a consolation goal from 20 yards on 14 March, after replacing Jake Taylor as a second-half substitute in a 4-1 defeat at Vicarage Road, in his second appearance of the season.
Galatasaray
On 8 July 2015, Karacan joined Galatasaray on a three-year contract following the expiration of his Reading contract at the end of the 2014–15 season. He made his Süper Lig debut against Gaziantepspor after replacing Yasin Öztekin, and Galatasaray won that match 2–1. Karacan played 90 minutes against Eskişehirspor where his team won 4–0, showing himself as a central midfielder both offensively and defensively, but term head coach Hamza Hamzaoğlu did not play him much.
Karacan left Galatasaray by mutual consent on 6 January 2017.
Loan to Bursaspor
On 1 February 2016, Karacan was loaned to fellow Süper Lig club Bursaspor until the end of the 2015–16.
Trials
Following Karacan's release from Galatasary, he went on trial with Wigan Athletic, and then Norwich City, for whom he featured in their U23's Premier League Cup match against Portsmouth.
Bolton Wanderers
On 11 March 2017, Karacan joined Bolton Wanderers on a one-month contract, making his debut for the Trotters from the substitutes bench that same day, coming on for Darren Pratley in a 4-2 win away at Fleetwood Town. On the final day of the season, Karacan scored the opening goal to put Bolton 1-0 up against Peterborough United in a 3-0 win, which was enough to seal promotion back to Championship as runners up. On 24 May, the club confirmed that Karacan had signed a one year deal, with an option for a further year, keeping him at the club until at least June 2018.
International career
Born to a Turkish father and English mother, Karacan is eligible to represent both countries at international level. He chose to represent Turkey and has captained them at youth level. He made his debut for the under-21s as a substitute against Armenia in August 2008, before making his first appearance for the A2 team when they beat Estonia 5–0 in March 2012. Karacan received his first senior call-up for Turkey on 13 October 2012, for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Hungary, but was an unused substitute.