Halil Dervişoğlu

Halil İbrahim Dervişoğlu (born 8 December 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Galatasaray. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Turkey national team.

Dervişoğlu began his career in his native Netherlands with Sparta Rotterdam and transferred to Brentford in 2020. A fringe player during $3 1/2$ years in England, he transferred to Turkish club Galatasaray in 2023, for whom he had played twice previously on loan away from Brentford.

Sparta Rotterdam
Dervişoğlu joined the Sparta Rotterdam academy at the age of 10 and broke into the club's reserve team early in the 2017–18 Tweede Divisie season. 21 goals in 26 appearances saw him sign a contract extension in May 2018 and he made his maiden first team appearances during the club's unsuccessful Eredivisie relegation playoff campaign. Dervişoğlu was a regular in the first team squad during the 2018–19 Eerste Divisie season and he helped the club to promotion back to the Eredivisie through the end-of-season playoffs.

In August 2019, Dervişoğlu signed a pre-contract to depart Het Kasteel on 1 January 2020. He made 19 appearances and scored five goals during the first half of the 2019–20 season and departed the club having made 58 appearances and scored 16 goals while a member of the first team squad.

2019–20
On 9 August 2019, Dervişoğlu signed a pre-contract to join English Championship club Brentford on 1 January 2020, for a reported €3 million fee. He signed a $4 1/2$-year contract and was unveiled as a Brentford player on 3 January 2020. Down the pecking order for the attacking positions, Dervişoğlu made 7 appearances during the remainder of the 2019–20 season, which ended with defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final.

2020–21 and loans to Twente and Galatasaray
After making just one EFL Cup substitute appearance during the first month of the 2020–21 season and well behind Marcus Forss and new signing Ivan Toney in the centre forward pecking order, Dervişoğlu joined Eredivisie club FC Twente on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season. After making 10 appearances without scoring, he was recalled by Brentford on the first day of the mid-season transfer window. Dervişoğlu scored his first goal for the club on his first appearance back, with the opener in a 2–1 FA Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 9 January 2021. It proved to be his only appearance before he departed to join Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray on loan two weeks later.

After a slow start to his Galatasaray spell due to testing positive for COVID-19, Dervişoğlu broke from his substitute role into the starting lineup late in the season and scored three goals in the final four matches, though the club ultimately missed out on the Süper Lig title by one goal. He finished his spell with 12 appearances, three goals and in his absence, Brentford won promotion to the Premier League after victory in the 2021 Championship play-off final.

2021–2023 and loans to Galatasaray and Burnley
Despite being named in each of head coach Thomas Frank's first four matchday squads of the 2021–22 season, Dervişoğlu made just one appearance, with a start in a 3–1 EFL Cup second round win over Forest Green Rovers. On 1 September 2021, for reasons of it being "a logical progression" for Dervişoğlu "to continue to play and develop", he rejoined Galatasaray on loan until the end of the 2021–22 season. He made 33 appearances and scored five goals during a mid-table season.

Dervişoğlu made just one seven-minute substitute cameo during the opening month of the 2022–23 Premier League season and well down the attacking pecking order, he joined Championship club Burnley on a season-long loan on the final day of the summer transfer window. Dervişoğlu played just 71 minutes across 9 substitute appearances in all competitions during his spell, with his only goal coming with an injury time winner in a 3–2 victory over Rotherham United on 2 November 2022.

Following a goalscoring appearance in Brentford's opening 2023–24 pre-season friendly, Dervişoğlu transferred out of the club. He made just 12 appearances, scoring one goal, during his $3 1/2$ years with Brentford. He ended his career with the club as its leading international goalscorer, with six goals.

Return to Galatasaray
On 16 July 2023, Dervişoğlu transferred to Süper Lig club Galatasaray on a permanent basis. He signed a four-year contract for a €500,000 fee. On 9 February 2024, after scoring four goals in 20 predominantly substitute appearances, he joined Süper Lig club Hatayspor on loan until the end of the 2023–24 season. Dervişoğlu made 11 appearances without scoring for the relegation-threatened club.

International career
Of Turkish descent, Dervişoğlu was eligible to represent the Netherlands or Turkey at international level. Capped by Turkey at U19 and U21 level, Dervişoğlu was named in Turkey's Euro 2020 squad and made his senior international debut in a pre-tournament friendly versus Azerbaijan on 27 May 2021. He started the match and scored the opening goal in the 2–1 victory. Dervişoğlu made two substitute appearances at Euro 2020, prior to Turkey's group stage exit.

International

 * Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dervişoğlu goal.

Honours
Sparta Rotterdam


 * Eerste Divisie promotion playoffs: 2019