Erdinç was promoted to the first-team squad in the 2005–06 Ligue 1 season, scoring a last-minute goal on his debut to gift his side a 1–0 victory away at Ajaccio.

[4] Having previously scored 11 goals in the league for the past two seasons for relegation-threatened Sochaux, there was heavy speculation regarding his future prior to the move to PSG.

Aston Villa, Fulham, Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic all reportedly showed interest in the player throughout May 2009,[5] as well as French sides Bordeaux and Lyon.

[12] In late October 2009, a foot injury saw him ruled out of action for approximately four weeks, but nonetheless had still managed to score six league goals in 11 games by December.

After the takeover of PSG in 2011 by the Qatar Investment Group and a number of high-profile arrivals, such as club-record signing of Javier Pastore for €42 million, Erdinç's place in the first-team looked in danger.

[26] In the penultimate league match of the 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, Erdinç scored a first-half brace as Saint-Étienne defeated Nantes 3–1 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on 10 May 2014.

[30] In Saint-Étienne's opening match of the 2014–15 Ligue 1 season, Erdinç scored both goals as the side completed a 2–0 win over Guingamp on 9 August 2014.

[31] In their next league fixture, he slotted a home a Romain Hamouma cross to secure a 3–1 come from behind victory over Reims, continuing the club's undefeated start to the season.

[36] He was one of several internationals signed by the club that summer, among the others were Gaël Clichy, Eljero Elia, Gökhan Inler and Manuel da Costa.

[37] At the end of his first season in his ancestral company, he told French regional newspaper Le Progrès that he wished to finish his career at the club.

On 11 October 2008, Erdinç scored his first international goal, the winner in a 2–1 home victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.

[45] He added two away goals in qualification for the 2014 edition, opening a 3–1 loss to Hungary and concluding a 2–0 win over Romania,[46][47] as Turkey again failed to reach the final tournament.

Terim named Erdinç in Turkey's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France,[48] though he was one of four cut before the final deadline.