The summer is a time of buzz and excitement in the football world. As transfer deals are brokered and last-minute agreements secured, fans look on with excitement as their favourite teams regroup and strengthen for the season ahead.
Fans of Turkish side Galatasaray will have particularly enjoyed this summer. The club has brought in a raft of new players, with some high-profile names among them. Let’s take a look at who has joined Galatasaray and discuss whether or not they will bring in anyone else.
Who Has Joined Galatasaray?
Galatasaray have brought in a total of eight new players over the summer. That’s a substantial number by any metric and is a clear indication that manager Okan Buruk is overseeing a complete rebuild of the team.
One of the first names to come in, and certainly one of the biggest, was Wilfred Zaha, who signed on a free in July after running down his contract at Crystal Palace. The winger spent eight seasons with the London club, racking up 90 goals and 76 assists.
Later that month, Galatasaray made another statement signing. They secured the signature of PSG forward Mauro Icardi. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most exciting players, who combines attacking prowess with tactical nous, the Argentine has won a series of awards, including several league titles with PSG and a Footballer of the Year award from his time with Inter Milan.
As well as Zaha and Icardi, Galatasary have brought in other names such as midfielder Demirbay from Bayer Leverkusen, left-back Angelino from RB Leipzig, and defender Kaan Ayhan from Sassuolo.
Who Has Left?
While Galatasaray have brought in a number of players, they’ve also seen a mass exodus from the club. They have lost a total of 20 players, through a combination of contract expiries and loan deals ending.
Galatasaray won the Turkish Super Lig last season, but supporters and online betting fans will have been worried about this season’s campaign given the sheer scale of outgoings from the club.
They have lost several key defenders, as well as two goalkeepers, as well as a number of midfield players. The majority of their outgoings left as free transfers. The only exception was forward Mostafa Mohamed, who joined Ligue 1 side FC Nantes for a fee of €5.75 million.
Will Galatasaray Sign Anyone Else?
Losing 20 players means that the eight Galatasaray have signed over the summer isn’t enough, and the team still have holes to fill if they want to mount another title challenge this season.
Fans are always looking for more signings, particularly when their team has lost as many players as Galatasaray have. However, as well as the eight new players Galatasaray have signed, the club also have 12 players returning from loan.
This takes Galatasaray’s number of incomings to 20, exactly the same as the number of players leaving the club. Fans who are hoping that the team signs more players before the transfer window slams shut may be disappointed, as the club may feel they have addressed the issues in the squad.
However, the transfer rumour mill never stops, and Galatasary are still being linked with a number of players, including Manchester United’s Fred. The Turkish giants already had a bid for Fred knocked back last month, but they could well make another attempt to sign the highly-rated Brazilian.
Conclusion
Galatasaray have had a busy summer. They’re looking to strengthen after losing so many players and launch a fresh bid to claim the Turkish Super Lig title for a second year in a row. Has their transfer business ended for the summer? We’ll just have to wait and see.
