Former Chelsea winger and football club director trapped under rubble after 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria 

An Earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on Monday morning

Former Chelsea winger and football club director trapped under rubble after 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria 

Atsu for Chelsea(Image via sky Sports)

Former Chelsea and Newcastle footballing star, Christian Atsu, is trapped under the rubble following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Turkey. According to Turkish news outlet Star, Atsu and Hatayspor’s club director, Taner Savut, are missing with a search and rescue operation underway.

Rescue teams saved two Hatayspor players, Burak Oksuz and Bertug Yildirim, and two members of the technical team, Ekrem Eksioglu and Osman Ates, from the rubble. They are all said to be in good health. The search continues for Atsu and Savut.

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Chelsea signed Atsu in 2013, sending him on loan spells to clubs like Everton and Bournemouth before he made his move to Newcastle permanent in 2017. Atsu’s impressive performance helped Newcastle win the Championship title, and he played for them until 2021 before joining Hatayspor. Newcastle expressed their hope for Atsu’s safety on social media, tweeting: “Praying for some positive news Christian Atsu.”

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Atsu had just scored his first goal for Hatayspor in a 1-0 victory over Kasimpasa before the earthquake hit. Hatayspor players Onur Ergun and Emre, the club translator, have not yet been reached. Tragically, Yeni Malatyaspor’s Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan lost his life after rescue teams found him under the rubble.

Rescue teams are working to save lives after an earthquake struck the country at 4 am on Monday morning, killing over 1,000 people with the possibility of the death toll reaching 10,000 after another 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit. The football world has come together in prayers for the safe return of Atsu and for all those affected by this tragedy.

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The Former Chelsea man played his best football in the Premier League

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Atsu in the blues kit(Image via Twitter)

In the 2022/2023 season, Atsu appeared in three games for Hatayspor, playing a total of 46 minutes. He has scored 1 goal and has a shot accuracy of 84.2%. With an average rating of 6.49.

Atsu spent four successful seasons with Newcastle, making 48 appearances and scoring 8 goals. He played a key role in the The Magpies championship win and was impressive with an average rating of 6.50 in the 2017/2018 season.

Atsu played for Spanish club Malaga and English club Everton. He scored 2 goals in 9 appearances for Malaga in 2015/2016. He also scored 2 goals in each of his Africa Cup of Nations appearances for Ghana in 2015 and 2019. Stats according to whoscored.com.

Atsu proves valuable to any team with his ability to score, create chances, and drive team success. The football world actively prays for Atsu’s well-being and for all those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

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