Türkiye’s role in the Western Balkans crystallises the paradox of a candidate state turned strategic rival. Once praised as a reform-minded partner, Ankara is now increasingly viewed through the prism of authoritarian drift, neo-Ottoman symbolism, and activism in Muslim-majority societies. Focusing on Albania and Kosovo, the analysis traces how Turkish investments, religious diplomacy, and media cooperation both support regional stability and quietly corrode good governance, rule of law, and secular-liberal norms. Rather than a straightforward neo-Ottoman project, Türkiye appears as a pragmatic power leveraging cultural proximity and economic incentives to expand influence. Its presence sits at the intersection of enlargement, geopolitics, and norm contestation: indispensable partner, alternative patron, and growing strategic headache for the EU.