EMRE Belezoglu was always expected to achieve great things in football when he was kicking a ball around the streets of Istanbul.

Unearthed by Galatasaray during the halcyon Fatih Terim days, there was an immediate feeling that they had discovered a gem.

Emre made his first professional appearance as a raw 16-year-old and, after rarely missing a game the following year, was dubbed the Crown Prince of the Turkish game.

Playing for his boyhood heroes fulfilled his own and his father's dream and his fame within his own country propelled to a new high when he helped Galatasaray to UEFA Cup glory in 2000 at just 19.

After four hit and miss years in Italy with Inter Milan, Emre will be unveiled as a Newcastle United player this morning and manager Graeme Souness will be looking for the player to recapture his best.

There is a general consensus that Emre, likened to his mentor and former Galatasaray team-mate Georghe Hagi, failed to reach the level of performance expected of him in Serie A.

But one man who has tracked the player's career during the past four years - journalist for Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sport, Gabriel Marcotti - is not about to write Emre off just yet.

"During Emre's time with Inter he worked with three different managers: Roberto Mancini, Alberto Zaccharoni and Hector Cuper. To have that many in such a short space of time will not have helped him and, even so, I would still not say he was a disappointment in Italy," said Marcotti.

"It was not a great time for him to go to Inter Milan. The club were in a chaotic state. But he still became a regular in his second season, starting 22 of his 48 games.

"Since then it was a little different but he is an incredibly gifted player and the supporters liked him. The Newcastle fans will like him as well I'm sure, although I do feel it's a strange signing.

"I like to describe him as a Shaun Wright-Phillips without the pace, which doesn't sound too great because Wright-Phillips' best attribute is his pace.

"But Emre is incredibly gifted. He is not a Laurent Robert type, where there is flair without good attitude. He is more like an honest Andy O'Brien or Andy Griffin with plenty more skill."

If Newcastle supporters are expecting a tricky old-fashioned winger - to replace the departed Robert - with a determination to make his way down the line then they are about to be mistaken.

The Geordie faithful are more likely going to see a tiny Eastern European who is willing to display a fiery side to his game and is more than capable of helping out in defence.

Despite having such a focussed approach to football, though, Newcastle supporters will be worried to learn their new £3.8m capture enjoys to party.

But Emre, who used to date a top model in Turkey, is also professional and Marcotti insists there is no need to fear another Patrick Kluivert scenario is on the cards.

"You would think that Emre joining Newcastle would be a recipe for disaster," said Marcotti. "A young, over-paid footballer moving to a city well famed for its nightlife does not look good - especially when the player is someone who is known to like to party.

"But even though he likes the nightlife he also knows what is required to keep on top of his game. At Inter he grew up pretty quick because he was not the star of the club.

"He could not really afford to become the prima donna as there were far bigger names around him. That experience should have helped him to mature and will help him come to terms with life at Newcastle."

Emre is not the first to swap Italy for Premiership life in the North-East of England. Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Festa, Gaizka Mendieta are just three.

And Marcotti - who has spent a large part of his career covering European football from London where he built a close relationship with former Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli - thinks Newcastle have taken a massive gamble.

"Emre has gone to Newcastle on £60,000 a week, for five years. He has turned down Everton, Arsenal and clubs in Spain to move to Newcastle. That suggests he is doing it for the money," said Marcotti.

"I can't honestly see why Newcastle are willing to meet such high demands. They are paying way over the odds, but so are so many clubs these days.

"I can't see Emre being willing to live life quietly in the country as Festa did during his days at Middlesbrough. Emre is younger and we will see whether he is just as keen to live in the North-East."

Nevertheless Emre's precocious talent has never been questioned. It is whether someone who played such a big part in Turkey's push to third place in the 2002 World Cup can excel in the Premiership.

Marcotti believes he can. "Contrary to what many English people think, the Italian league has quickened up in recent years and is much closer to the speed of Premiership football now," he said.

"To help Galatasaray win the UEFA Cup aged 18 is a sign of the player's talent. He also has age on his side and could do well at Newcastle.

"A lot depends on where he will be played. He has played his best football in a Christmas tree formation. So if Emre and Kieron Dyer can be used just behind Alan Shearer that could work.

"There is also a role for him alongside a Nicky Butt in the middle of the pitch. Finding a position will be the secret to Emre becoming a success at Newcastle."

Graeme Souness, that's down to you.

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