Dursun Özbek compares Mourinho and İsmail Kartal

Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek made statements to TRT Spor. Here are those statements from Dursun Özbek...

"WE WILL RAISE THE BAR NEXT SEASON"

"It was a very difficult season. It could have been more enjoyable. The race was between two teams. The relegation zone was much more exciting. The thrill lasted until the final minute. I don't think it was good to have such a large point gap. I hope next year will be a race in which more clubs participate.

We were already locked in on our 24th championship. There was a team from last year, and we made additions to it and reached the championship. We could have become champions even earlier.

But there is no need to explain certain parameters here. I thank my coach and the technical staff. I especially thank our fans. We will raise the bar a notch next season."

ANNOUNCED TRANSFERS

"We are looking for a right-back, a midfielder, and a player to back up Mertens. We are looking at players who could be 'opportunity transfers.' This is a very dynamic process. Everything might not stay on paper."

"IF A HIGH OFFER COMES LIKE SACHA BOEY'S..."

"You say you won't sell names like Barış Alper Yılmaz or Kerem Aktürkoğlu; won't they be sold if a good offer comes in?"

Dursun Özbek: "We are not selling; are we forcing it? If a high offer comes in like the one for Sacha Boey, we will consider it."

"WHY DID JOSE MOURINHO COME?"

"Okan Buruk is a son of Galatasaray. He is extremely successful and will serve Galatasaray for many years to come. He is a friend who is identified with Galatasaray and is a lover of Galatasaray. One must make evaluations by looking at what rival teams are doing.

There are names in rival teams who were raised within their own clubs, but it just doesn't work out. The greatness of Galatasaray and the sense of belonging of Galatasaray fans are the most important factors that bring success. This vaccine we brought to Galatasaray has taken hold in every aspect.

What Okan Buruk means for Galatasaray is clear. What other teams do is also important. For example, why did Jose Mourinho come? İsmail Kartal, who earned 99 points, was sent away. If they had said this at the beginning of the season, what would you have said? These are the issues that really need to be examined."

"IT WAS NOT RIGHT"

"During the mid-season transfer window, I told Okan Buruk, 'Make a transfer policy that prepares the squad for the 2024-25 season.' Not much success is achieved in mid-season transfer windows. They evaluated that differently. They said the president doesn't want to spend money, but that was not true. The left-back we bought was a transfer made for the next season."

"WE MUST BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE"

"We didn't play very badly in the Champions League last season. We will play in the Champions League play-offs this season. The format this season will be a bit different. Galatasaray needs to be successful in the Champions League. We are working for that. Our home matches are in high demand. There is a prevailing idea to increase the stadium's capacity. If the Galatasaray Stadium had been planned for 70 thousand people, the fans would fill it."

STATEMENT ON ERDEN TİMUR

"I was the one who brought my brother Erden to the position. He did not run in the election; the Sportif A.Ş. position is filled by appointment. We were working together even before. He was our jersey sponsor in 2016 when I was president. His connection with Galatasaray continued during the Mustafa Cengiz era as well. When we were elected in 2022, I called him again. We had a successful period. After delegating the work, there is no need for us to interfere with that person's work.

Galatasaray is a presidential system. As president, you are the one responsible. At the end of the day, the president is held accountable. In this sense, we did our best for Erden Timur to be successful.

I told him he should continue. He told me he did not want to continue due to some business and family problems. This is a voluntary job. I respected that. He will not be with us this term."

'IT IS WRONG TO BE OFFENDED WITH GALATASARAY'

"I often face the question, 'Who will be the football mind of Galatasaray?' My area of activity was different from Erden Timur's. Later, I asked him to take care of football, and he accepted. This year, he said he wouldn't be able to. One has to get used to this. Galatasaray is not like other clubs.

Criticism is always at the forefront for us. Galatasaray has grown this way. Remember my previous terms. We were subjected to all kinds of harsh criticism.

It is extremely wrong to be offended with Galatasaray because of these criticisms. Erden is a young and sensitive brother of mine. He was bothered by these criticisms. But if you want to serve Galatasaray, you have to be tolerant of these criticisms."

News Source: 12punto