Naci Ünüvar will play for Heracles Almelo for the rest of the season. The number last in the Eredivisie rents the 22-year-old attacker from fellow countrymen FC Twente, without an option to buy.
Ünüvar passed the medical examination on Tuesday morning and then immediately joined Heracles’ training. “I’m happy to be here,” he responds on the club website. “After the change of coach (John van den Brom for Joseph Oosting, ed.), my playing time at FC Twente went downhill. However, I am a fan and above all I want to enjoy playing football. I think I can pick up the thread again at Heracles Almelo and will do everything I can to help keep the club in the Eredivisie.”
Ernest Faber, trainer and technical director in Almelo, knows Ünüvar from his time at Ajax, when Faber himself worked at PSV. “Naci is a creative attacker with exceptional technique, insight into the game and courage in one-on-one,” says Faber. “He reads spaces quickly, creates chances from different positions and accelerates the attacking play with smart choices. When he gains confidence and has clarity about his role, he immediately adds creativity, energy and efficiency in the final phase.”
Ünüvar, born in Zaandam, trained at Ajax and has been loaned out to Trabzonspor, FC Twente and Espanyol in recent years. In January 2025, Ünüvar was permanently recruited by FC Twente. He has since played nineteen games in the Eredivisie for the Enschede club, scoring two goals. “It is important for Naci that he gets to play a lot, at Heracles that chance is greater than at FC Twente. That is why this rental period is a good solution for him,” said Jan Streuer, outgoing technical director of Twente.
