Latest news with #TurkishSuperLig
Scottish Sun
17 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
‘Crisis' at European club leaves two ex-Rangers stars' futures in major doubt with one ace in contract TERMINATION talks
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS said goodbye to several long serving first team stars a year ago. But barely a year on, two of them are facing uncertain futures at the SAME club. 3 John Lundstram had a decent first season with Trabzonspor Credit: Getty 3 Borna Barisic's time in Turkey has turned into a ightmare Credit: Getty 3 Both players left Rangers a year ago Credit: Willie Vass Borna Barisic and John Lundstram were two of the big names who left Rangers at the end of the 2023/24 season. The high profile duo were among several stars who became free agents when their contracts at Ibrox expired. Neither player had long to wait to find a new club and they both ended up in the same place. Barisic and Lundstram both signed for Turkish Super Lig giants Trabzonspor. Both players penned three-year contracts with the club. An inconsistent season saw Trabzonspor start poorly both domestically and on the continent, missing out on group stage European football despite getting qualifying cracks at both the Europa League and Conference League. Things improved as the campaign went on, with the club eventually finishing 7th and also reaching the final of the Turkish Cup. The club went through three permanent managers over the course of the season, with Faith Tekke - a 2008 Uefa Cup final foe of Rangers' - the man currently at the helm. Former Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Tekke has some big decisions to make this summer. That's because according to various Turkish reports, including from Gunaydin, he will have to part with SEVEN first team players. What next for Rangers after American takeover is confirmed? Turkish Super Lig rules allow clubs a maximum of 12 foreign players in their squad. Including players returning on loan, Trabzonspor have 14 on their books. Boss Tekke is expected to sign five overseas players this summer, meaning the club will have to move seven foreign players on in the transfer window in what's been termed a 'foreign quota crisis.' Both Barisic and Lundstram could be part of the upcoming cull. Croatia left-back Barisic's time in Turkey has been nothing short of a nightmare. He barely kicked a ball and was sent out on loan to Spain with Leganes in January. But he suffered a horror injury on his debut and his season was over. Now according to the reports in Turkey, Barisic's contract could be TERMINATED by Trabzonspor. It's claimed talks to rip up his deal are underway. Lundstram, meanwhile, recovered from a slow start to life to enjoy a relatively solid season. He earned the respect of the Trabzonspor fans after filling-in at centre-back for a large part of the season. But Turkish media say that Lundstram's AGE could go against him as the club decides which players to move on. The midfielder has only just turned 31 but that makes him one of the oldest foreign players in the squad. Ex-Man City star Stefan Savic, 34, Edin Visca, 35, and 36-year old Anthony Nwakaeme are the other three names listed as being 'likely' candidates to be sold this summer. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jose Mourinho told to consider retiring by Chelsea icon after 'losing humility'
Marcel Desailly believes Jose Mourinho is coming to the end of the road as top-line coach after the former Chelsea boss missed out on the Turkish league title with Fenerbahce Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly says it could be time for Jose Mourinho to retire, claiming he is losing his humility. It's 21 years since the Portuguese coach swept into Stamford Bridge to begin an unprecedented era of success for the Blues. Following a second stint at Chelsea and spells with Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Roma, Mourinho has just completed his first season in charge of Fenerbahce, who finished a distant second to bitter rivals Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. At 62, he is still making headlines for his touchline antics and outspokenness to the media. However, it has now been a decade since Mourinho last won a league title - in 2015 during his second spell at Chelsea - and there are question marks over whether his best days are in the rearview mirror. That view is held by Desailly, who has the utmost respect for Mourinho but believes his approach has changed for the worse. 'We have loved him so much as a coach and he has nothing left to prove,' Desailly, who left Chelsea the summer Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge, told Oddspedia US. 'He is a top coach like Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique and others, he will have to sit down and decide what he wants. He could set his ego down and restart the system that he wants to play. 'When he started coaching he had so much humility, players that played under him told me how fantastic a coach he was. Players wanted to fight and would die for him. He gave every single member of his team momentum and a chance to impress him. 'But he has changed. In the media, instead of protecting his players, he isn't scared to call them out. His training sessions haven't created motivation and competition among players. 'He has dropped the aspect of humility, he missed out on the title at Fenerbahce and he will need that to get back to the level he was at before. If he has more humility then the good side of Mourinho will return. We all love him as a manager but he used to protect his players and he has lost a bit of that.' While Desailly never played under Mourinho at Chelsea, the pair parted on good terms. At the age of 35, the French World Cup-winner felt it was time to move on. He told in 2020: 'I could have stayed but was already 35. I spoke to Mourinho and he wanted me to stay. He told me I'm the leader and I will not be playing all the games because John Terry and William Gallas were better than me. 'I told him I wanted to go. That is why I ended up in Qatar [with Al-Gharafa] because I wanted to play football.' Desailly, now 56, moved on to Qatar SC in 2005 before hanging up his boots the following year.
Ya Biladi
4 days ago
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
Hakim Ziyech's contract with Al-Duhail officially ends after one season
Al-Duhail SC has officially announced the departure of Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech, confirming the end of his contract with the club's first team. In a statement shared on the club's official channels, Al-Duhail stated that Ziyech's contract concluded at the end of the 2024–2025 season, and he will not be part of the team moving forward. The 31-year-old winger joined Al-Duhail in January on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Turkish side Galatasaray. Ziyech has had an eventful career, playing for several clubs since starting out in 2015, including Heerenveen, Twente, and Ajax in the Netherlands, Chelsea in England, and Galatasaray in Turkey, where he featured in 11 matches across all competitions this season. During his time at Galatasaray, Ziyech played five matches in the Turkish Super Lig, three in the Europa League, two in the Champions League qualifiers, and one in the Turkish Cup. At Al-Duhail, he made nine appearances in the Qatar Stars League, scoring once. Al-Duhail finished the current Qatar Stars League season in second place, lost the Qatar Cup final to Al-Sadd, and exited the Emir Cup at the quarterfinal stage after a defeat to Al-Rayyan.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Victor Osimhen to Man Utd swap deal on the cards as boss 'flies out for talks'
Manchester United may offer Napoli a player in their bid to land Victor Osimhen from the Serie A champions after making Ruben Amorim's entire squad available for sale A Manchester United transfer chief has flown to Naples amid the prospect of a swap deal including Rasmus Hojlund and Victor Osimhen. The Red Devils want to sign a new striker this summer for Ruben Amorim and have already missed out on Liam Delap. Director of Football Negotiations Matt Hargreaves is said to have flown to Italy to meet with Napoli executives over facilitating a move to bring Osimhen for the club. The Nigeria international spent last term on loan at Galatasaray after the Serie A side failed to secure a permanent move away for the forward after signing Romelu Lukaku. United's whole squad has been made available for sale and Napoli are interested in the prospect of signing Hojlund. The Denmark international impressed during his time with Atalanta before completing a £72million move to Old Trafford. The 22-year-old has failed to cement his place in Ruben Amorim's plans however, and scored just four Premier League goals as United finished 15th in the division. That comes after Hojlund scored 10 league goals in his debut season. Italian outlet Il Napolista has claimed Hojlund could be used as part as a swap deal that would see Napoli part ways with Osimhen however. United may need to foot up an additional £33.7m to land the 26-year-old. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is said to have told intermediaries that Osimhen will be sold to the highest bidder this summer. The sharpshooter bagged 36 goals in 40 appearances in Turkey and the club is hoping that his €75m (£63m) release clause will be activated this summer. United's constrained finances mean that they may want to use Hojlund as a makeweight for Antonio Conte's side. And the Italian champions have already found success signing players from the 13-times Premier League and Scott McTominay has become a star since making the move. Osimhen's international team-mate William Troost-Ekong believes the striker is destined for the Premier League this summer. The Turkish Super Lig top scorer has already engaged in talks. 'I know he's a Chelsea fan, but I also know he's had talks with all the top teams. It's up to him what he chooses. He will fit into every team,' Troost-Ekong recently told TalkSport. "I know Liverpool have spoken about getting a new striker next season. We will see. I'm also reading, like everyone else is, that he has a clause this summer. "When he went to Galatasaray I think it worked out amazingly for him.I couldn't see him playing there for another season, or anywhere else but the Premier League next season."
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jose Mourinho lashes out at Turkish press AGAIN: Furious boss belittles reporters with brutal putdown after his side lost to relegation contenders
Jose Mourinho took another brutal swipe at the Turkish Super Lig and the press after his Fenerbahce side lost to already relegated Hatayspor. Fenerbahce fell to a 4-2 away loss on Monday and are now nine points behind title winners Galatasaray with one game remaining. A defiant Mourinho, who has frequently belittled the division since joining Fenerbahce last summer, lashed out at reporters post-match, boasting of his continental success compared to Turkish clubs. The Portuguese boss said: 'In the last seven years, I have played in two European finals. So in the past seven years I have played more European finals than the history of Turkish football together.' Galatasaray are the only Turkish club to feature in a European final, beating Arsenal to clinch the UEFA Cup in 2000. Mourinho, meanwhile has won six European honours. His latest victory was the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022 and he lifted the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017. Fenerbahce fell to a 4-2 away loss on Monday are now nine points behind Galatasaray The 62-year-old also defended his results after a season which has seen Fenerbahce finish second for the fourth consecutive year. 'In relation to the results, only people that don't understand what football is, doesn't understand what end of season is [criticise us]. 'End of season is painful for teams who don't have an objective. For people that are fighting for title for Europe, for relegation, the motivation goes every day. For people that lose the objectives, it's painful.' He added: 'We had a difficult summmer because of players coming from the Euros and coming very late for preparation.' Two weeks ago Mourinho provided a witty reply when he was quizzed by a reporter over the frequent changes to his side. 'I have 25 coins, I throw the coins in the air.' he said, throwing his arms into the air in mime. 'The ones that stay on the table are the ones that I play. The ones that go on the floor, they go on the bench. I do it just like this. 'During the week, I'm having fun. I go to nightclubs every day in Instanbul, everywhere. And then when it's time to choose the team, I throw coins with the players' faces (on them). Mourinho's first season in Turkey has been mired in controversy while Fenerbahce are second 'The 11 that stay on the table are the 11 that play... it's simple.' He has already used comedy showed his disdain towards reporters questions this season. After March's 3-1 defeat by Rangers, Mourinho pretended to fall asleep at his chair as the reporter rambled on in Turkish. 'Oh, this is too much for my head. I'm tired, man,' he said, while scratching his head. '90 minutes not to listen to all of this, I'm too tired for that.' Mourinho's debut season has been mired in controversy. He was hit a three-match ban last month after appearing to grab the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk in the latest of a series of incendiary of incidents. While in February, Mourinho filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray after the club accused him of making racist statements. In November he tore into the Turkish Super Lig in an incredible tirade following his team's 3-2 away win at Trabzonspor on Sunday. Mourinho did not hold back as he boldly stated: 'Nobody abroad wants to watch the Turkish league. 'Who wants to watch this Turkish league abroad? They have the Premier League, they have the French league, they have the German league, they have the Portuguese league, they have the Dutch league. Why should they see this? 'It's too grey. It's too dark, smells bad. But that's my job, and I will give everything to my job, to my club.' Despite missing out on the league title for an eleventh consecutive season, Mourinho is likely to stay on, with club president Ali Koc saying 'we want to continue with Jose Mourinho for stability.' Fenerbahce missed out on the title to arch-rivals Galatasaray but are 20 points ahead of third placed Samsunspor. They could feature in next season's Champions League but will have to go through qualification rounds in the summer.
