Turkey Football League transfer wrap: 101 Arrivals, 113 Departures, Adebayor, Babel & More
Much like the rest of Europe the winter transfer window in Turkey ended up being a bit of a damp squid. There were a few high profile and surprise signings such as Emmanuel Adebayor joining Basaksehir and Ryan Babel making a move to Besiktas but it paled in comparison to previous seasons.
Turkey Football League transfer wrap
It may have seemed like there was not like a lot of activity in the transfer market but there was actually 101 in bound transfers and 113 outgoing moves in total. The league as a whole ended up making a £12.4 million loss across all clubs combined. Galatasaray were the heaviest spenders shelling out £5.1 million and Besiktas made the most from sales at just over £2 million.
Turkish League transfer round-up:
– 113 Departures
– 101 Arrivals
– £12.4m loss
– Top spender: Galatasaray £5.1m
– Top earner: Beşiktaş £2m pic.twitter.com/jaxL782NYn— Turkish Football (@Turkish_Futbol1) February 1, 2017
Besiktas
Ryan Babel raised a few eyebrows when he joined but the former Liverpool man has hit the ground running and already has two goals. The Dutch star has slotted in seamlessly to the Besiktas setup adding a much needed attacking boost to the left-flank.
Demba Ba left Besiktas for Shanghai as the leagues goal king. He has now returned but it remains to be seen what effect his latest injury blow will have.
Ersan Gulum also returned from China on a six-month loan to sure up a leaky Besiktas defence.
The biggest mystery remains Mitrovic who cost more than all the other transfers combined. He has not been able to break into the team yet and it remains to be seen what plans Senol Gunes has for the 23-year-old Croatian centre-back.
Arrivals
Matej Mitrovic signed from HNK Rijeka for £3.57m
Ersan Gulum returned from Heiba on a six-month loan
Ryan Babel joined from Deportivo La Coruna on a free transfer
Demba Ba also returned from Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua on a six-month loan
Veysel Sapan returned on loan from Kahramanmaras
Departures
Kerim Frei was sold to Birmingham on a £1.91 million move
Olcay Sahan joined Trabzonspor on a £170K deal
Veysel Sapan was loaned out to Karagumruk
Fenerbahce
January was surprisingly quiet for Fenerbahce considering Dick Advocaat was unable to put his stamp on the team over the summer. The Dutch manager took over just a week before the end of the transfer window and has had to work with a side built by his predecessor Vitor Pereira. The only transfer made was Oleksandr Karavaev from Shakhtar Donetsk and while he has looked pretty decent so far it does not solve the glaring problem Fenerbahce currently face; not having a quality No 10.
Arrivals
Oleksandr Karavaev from Shakhtar Donetsk for £2.13 million
Beykan Simsek returned from Sivasspor on loan
Depatures
Ramazan Civelek was snapped up by Gaziantep BB
Beykan Simsek joined Altinordu on loan
Galatasaray
Galatasaray strengthened their defence signing 22-year-old centre-back Ahmet Calik from Genclerbirligi for £2.13 million. The transfer did not go down well with the home faithful and there were campaigns on social media to block the deal. The criticism is not warranted in our opinion. He is actually one of the brightest talents as far as defenders are concerned in the league and given a chance he will prove himself. Garry Rodrigues was signed from PAOK for £2.98 million and the winger has looked lively in his first few games. The one area Galatasaray failed to strengthen was upfront. They were linked with everyone from Leonardo Ulloa to Didier Drogba but it just did not work out.
Arrivals
Garry Rodrigues joined on a £2.98 million move from PAOK
Ahmet Calik was signed for £2.13 million from Genclerbirligi
Lucas Ontivero returned from his loan at Montreal Impact
Kerem Caliskan returned from loan at Rizespor
Volkan Pala returned from loan at Rizespor
Departures
Salih Dursun, famous for sending off a referee while at Trabzonspor last season joined Antalyaspor on loan
Lucas Ontivero was loaned out of U. de Chile
Volkan Pala was loaned to Inegolspor
Emrah Bassan was loaned out to Fortuna Sittard
Umut Gundogan was loaned to Manisaspor
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop joined Darmstadt on a free transfer
Jem Karacan became a free agent
Kolbeinn Sighthorsson had his contract mutually terminated
Basaksehir
Basaksehir manager is nicknamed the Warren Buffet of transfers for the simple fact that he is able to spot value in a player when his price is low. Buy low, sell high is the mantra of Buffet and it is a philosophy followed by Avci. The surprise title challengers brought Irfan Can Kahveci in on a £1.37 million move from Genclerbirligi. The 21-year-old is one of the brightest young attacking midfield talents in the league and it is a surprise really why one of the financial powerhouses in the league did not make a move. Junior Caicara was brought in from FC Schalke and the biggest name to join the league in January, none other than former Arsenal, Real Madrid, Tottenham and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor joined the once Istanbul minnows. Additionally experienced former Turkish international Egemen Korkman was brought in. All the transfers named above were players that will add quality and depth in positions that needed both. Another brilliant transfer window for Avic and the gang.
Arrivals
Junior Cascara joined from FC Schalke on a £2.55 million move
Irfan Can Kahveci was signed by Genclerbirligi for £1.37 million
Egemen Korkmaz arrived from FC Will 1990 on a free transfer
Cihan Yildiz returned from loan from Kastonomu 1966
Okan Saracoglu was promoted to the senior side from the academy
Emmanuel Adebayor signed as a free agent
Departures
Rajko Rotman joined Kayserispor on loan
Cihan Yildiz moved to Sakaryaspor on loan
Okan Saracoglu was loaned to Erzin Belediye
Cheikou Dieng was loaned to St Polten
Cenk Ahmet Akilic was loaned to Alanyaspor
Sokol Cikalleshi joined Akhisarspor on loan
Antalyaspor
Samuel Eto’o appeared to have signed for Besiktas and then for Rostov when he posed with the team shirt but his future was never actually in doubt. He not only stayed at Antalyaspor but has been in his best form this season over the transfer window. The Scorpions did snap up former Tottenham man Sandro on a free transfer from QPR as well as Mustafa El Kabir on a free transfer from Sagan Tosu. One of their most interesting moves however, was snapping up 19-year-old starlet Harun Alpsoy from Grasshoppers on a £425K deal – definitely one to keep an eye on.
Arrivals
Harun Alpsoy was signed on a £425K move from Grasshoppers
Moustafa El Kabir joined on a free transfer from Sagan Tosu in Japan
Sandro joined as a free transfer from QPR
Salih Dursun was brought in on a loan from Galatasaray
Jean-Armel Drole was snapped up on loan from Perugia
Gokhan Yilmaz returned from loan from Giresunspor
Oguz Mataraci returned on loan from Erzurumspor
Departures
Gokhan Yilmaz joined Bandirmaspor on loan
Oguz Mataraci joined Sariyer on loan
Rais M’Bolhi moved to Rennes on a free transfer
Can Arat joined Sariyer as a free transfer
Ridvan Simsek was snapped up by Sivasspor on a free transfer
Kadir Bekmezci moved to Boluspor as a free transfer
Lamine Diarra moved to Elazigspor on a free free
Milan Jevtovic joined Rosenberg on loan
Ahmet Aras, Abdel Diarra and Sahin Aygunes were all released as free agents
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor had an abysmal start to the season and Ersun Yanal underlined that he needed reinforcements over the transfer window. Former Fulham star Hugo Rodallega was signed on a £1.36 million move from Akhisar. The Colombian forward is well versed in the Super Lig having spent years playing for the Akigolar. Fabian Castillo was one of the few players that was half decent over the first half of the season and was rewarded by being signed on a permanent deal from FC Dallas. Besiktas and Turkish international winger Olcay Sahan joined on a free transfer while Carl Medjani returned on a free. Despite making several transfers Trabzonspor may have had the answers to their problems staring them in the face all along. Youth product Yusuf Yazici was promoted from the academy side and has been lighting the league up. The 19-year-old could end up being joined by Abdulkadir Omur who we tipped for greatness at the start of the season for Guardian.
Arrivals
Hugo Rodallega joined from Akhisar on a £1.36 million move
Emmanuel Mas was signed from San Lorenzo for £1.28 million
Fabian Castillo made his loan stay from FC Dallas permanent after Trabzonspor shelled out €808K
Olcay Sahan joined on a free transfer from Besiktas
Joao Pereira was signed on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon
Carl Medjani returned from his time in the wilderness as a free transfer
Muhammet Besiktas returned from loan
Furka Tas returned from loan
Sefa Yilmaz returned from loan
Departures
Muhammet Besir joined Trabzonspor’s satellite club 1461 Trabzon on loan
Mustafa Yumlu joined Akhisar as part of a part-exchange deal for Rodallega
Sefa Yilmaz joined Gaziantepspor on loan
Furkan Tas moved to Ofspor on loan
Guray Vural joined Kayserispor as a free transfer
Serge Akakpo moved to Gaziantep BB as a free tarnsfer
Muhammet Demir moved to Gaziantepspor on loan
Hyun Jun Suk returned to Porto following the end of his loan deal
Caykur Rizespor
Arrival
Bright Edomwonyi was signed on a £1.02 million move from Sturm Graz
Nosa Igiebor joined on a £425K move from Nosa Maccabi Tel Aviv on tsarina deadline day
Suleyman Koc was snapped up as a free agent
Departures
Oguzham Malci joined Kozan on loan
Ufuk Buncukcu moved to Tokatspor on loan
Nika Czalamidze was snapped up by Gornik Leczna on a free transfer
Muhammed Emin Balcilar joined Etimesgut on loan
Iyayi Atiemwen joined Sanliurfaspor on loan
Mert Kuleli moved to Etimesgut on loan
Umit Korkmaz left as a free agent
Emrah Bassan returned to Galatasaray following the end of his loan
Volkan Pala returned to Galatasaray following the end of his loan
Gaziantepspor
Arrivals
Muhammet Demir joined on loan from Trabzonspor
Marcinho was signed from Ufa as a free transfer
Sefa Yilmaz joined on loan from Trabzonspor
Anis Ben Hatira joined on a free transfer after being released by Darmstadt
Yovier Gonzalez joined on a free transfer from Deportivo Pasto
Paulo Victor was signed from Flamengo on loan
Wallace Reis signed from Gremio for an undisclosed fee
Marcos Pedrosso joined on loan from Figueirense
Khaly Thiam was signed for an undisclosed fee from MTK Budapest
Serhan Yilmaz returned from his loan move to Darica
Departures
Daniel Larsson signed for Akhisar as a free transfer
Serhan Yilmaz joined Batman Petrol on loan
Charles Itandje joined Adanaspor as a free transfer
Ilker Gunaslan joined Erzurumspor on loan
Emre Nefiz was snapped up by Alanyaspor on a free transfer
Kayserispor
Arrivals
Silvestre Varela was signed from Porto on a £425K move
Rajko Rotman joined from Basaksehir on loan
Guray Vural joined from Trabzonspor as a free transfer
Hakan Aslant joined on loan from Karabukspor
Landry N’Guemo was signed as a free transfer from Akhisar
Raheem Laval joined on loan from Osmanlispor
Erkan Kas was loaned in from Sivasspor
Douglao was signed as a free agent
Efe Ozarslan was also signed as a free agent
Departures
Mert Iliman joined BB Lrzurumspor on loan
Ufuk Budak was signed by Manisaspor as a free transfer
Erkam Resmen joined Samsunspor as a free transfer
Anil Karaer was snapped up by Genclerbirligi on a free transfer
Furkan Yaman joined Nazili Belediye on loan
Murat Duruer joined Genclerbirligi on a free transfer
Mert Ozyildirim joined Etimesgut on loan
Srdjan Mijailovic and Prejuce Nakoulma were both released as free transfers
Adanaspor
Arrivals
Reynaldo joined on a £425K move from Qarabag
Charles Itandje was snapped up on a free transfer from Gaziantepspor
Halil Ibrahim Pehlivan joined on loan from Genclerbirligi
Vinicius was signed for an undisclosed fee from Palmeiras
Yakup Demir returned from Sariyer on loan
Departures
Yakup Demir joined Diyarbakirspor on loan
Canberk Dialler joined Goztepe for an undisclosed fee
Edgar Silva left as a free agent
Karabukspor
Arrivals
Andriy Bliznichenko joined from Dnipro for a £255K fee
Evgen Seleznev was snapped up on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk
Paul Papp was brought in as a free transfer from FC Will 1900
Oleksandr Rybka was signed as a free transfer from Dynamo Kyiv.
Departures
Isaac Promise joined Giresunspor on a free transfer
Hakan Aslantas moved to Kayserispor on loan
Vladmir Rodic was loaned out to Rad
Adriano joined Nacional for an undisclosed fee
Ergun Teber and Koksal Yedek were both released as free agents
Alanyaspor
Arrivals
Junior Fernandes was transferred from Dinamo Zagreb for £383K
Guy Michel Landel joined on a free transfer from Genclerbirligi
Georgios Tzavellas was snapped up on a free transfer from PAOK
Darko Lazic joined on a free transfer from Anzhi
Emre Nefiz arrived as a free transfer from Gaziantepspor
Glynor Plet was signed for an undisclosed fee from Maccabi Haifa
Cenk Ahmet Alkilic joined Basaksehir on loan
Departures
Mamadou Fofana to Bandirmaspor on loan
Gokay Iravul moved to Samsunspor on loan
Erhan Kartal on a temporary move to Gaziantep BB
Konathan Ayite to Yeni Malatyaspor on a free transfer
Abdoulaye Ba returned to Porto after his loan ended
Sajjad Shahbazzzadeh was released as a free agent
Sefa Yilmaz moved to Trabzonspor on loan
Sezer Ozmen was released as a free agent
Konyaspor
Arrivals
Moryke Fofana was signed for an undisclosed fee from FC Lorient
Eyup Erturk was also brought in for an undisclosed fee from Adilyespor
Departures
Abdulkerim Bardakci zu Samsunspor on loan
Eyup Erturk -> Adliyespor on loan
Ali Dere to Selcukspor on loan
Ataberk Gurgen to Kizilcaboluk on a free transfer
Vedat Bora moved to Samsunspor on a temporary move
Oguzhan Demirci was released
Osmanlispor
Arrivals
Luis Carlos joined on a free transfer from Ahli
Thievy Bifouma was signed for an undisclosed fee from SC Bastia
Departures
Artur Moraes zu Chapecoense on a free transfer
Cheick Diabate joined FC Metz on loan
Raheem Lawal moved to Kayserispor on loan
Kasimpasa
Arrivals
Cristian Guanca joined on loan from CA Colon
Departures
Ismail Aya -> Sivas Belediye on loan
Hamit Yildirim to Inegolspor on loan
Ferhat Kiraz joined Yeni Malatyaspor on loan
Akhisar
Arrivals
Enoch Kofi Adu joined on a £510K transfer from Malmo
Mustafa Yumlu arrived as part of an exchange deal for Hugo Rodallega from Trabzonspor
Jeremy Bokila was snapped up as a free transfer from GZ R&F
Miral Samardzic joined as a free transfer from HN Juanye
Daniel Larsson arrived from Gaziantepspor on a free transfer
Sokol Cikalleshi was loaned in from Basaksehir
Olcan Adin was released as a free agent
Hasan Ali Adiguzel was promoted to the senior side from the academy
Departures
Hugo Rodallega to Trabzonspor for £1.36 million
Abdulkadir Ozdemir moved to Boluspor on loan
Landry N’Guemo to Kayserispor on a free transfer
Sami returned to FC Porto after his loan spell ended
Douglao was released as a free agent
Genclerbirligi
Arrivals
Etien Velikonja arrived from NK Olympia for a £323K fee
Jonathan Ring joined from Kalmar on a free transfer
Anil Karaer was signed from Kayserispor on a free transfer
Murat Duruer joined from Kayserispor on a free transfer
Luccas Claro was snapped up from Coritiba on a free transfer
Bad joined from Atletico PR for an undisclosed fee.
Agon Mehmeti joined for an undisclosed fee from Stabaek
Berat Tosun returned from loan from Boluspor
Dieudonne Gbakle returned from his Manisaspor loan
Umut Sozen was released as a free agent
Departures
