Sadettin Saran: We will make great transfers at the end of the year

President Sadettin Saran made important statements regarding the current agenda on Fenerbahçe Television. 

Saran said, "First of all, I wish a blessed Ramadan to the Islamic world, and I greet our community and our fans with love and respect. Yes, we are in a very busy period. We are a club competing in many branches. My fellow Board Members and I are putting in a lot of effort. We are pushing for the top in every branch. I was at the athletics competitions in Antalya last week. From table tennis to women's football, in volleyball and basketball, we are aiming for trophies everywhere. We are going through an intense process. At the same time, we are enjoying it," he said.

Stating that they are going through an intense and challenging period, Sadettin Saran said, "But before mentioning that, we need to remember where we came from. During the election process, I said, 'There is a dead weight in Samandıra.' The first place I went after being elected was Samandıra. There was a more serious dead weight than I expected: In fact, I remember saying 'Oh no' to myself regarding morale while leaving there after my first meeting with the players, as there was a Zagreb match coming up. There was no hope for the championship in the community or the players. It wasn't in Samandıra. At the point we have reached today, there is hope. Let's remember that. It was a period when faith was seriously damaged. But I think one of the important turning points for our community was winning the Super Cup at the beginning of January. The fact that the transfers we made together with our coach, our technical staff, and our team were effective in the Super Cup was an important threshold. It gave hope to the community. We won our first trophy in football. But at the point we have reached in this process, we are experiencing some setbacks. Injuries are in the nature of football. They came one after another; Alvarez's surgery, Archie Brown, Jayden, Çağlar, Talisca, Skriniar. On top of that, Tedesco's illness and his inability to appear in matches for two weeks was unfortunately unfortunate. We put up a very important fight in Europe. We didn't play very well at home, but we played very, very well there. Our fans were incredible there too. It even became a topic in the world press. Every trophy is very important to us. We fought until the end. I am very pleased with my team, the football they displayed, and their struggle. It is a team with character. I always said, 'We will build a team that puts its head into a kick,' and we paid special attention to this while making the mid-season transfers. At the point we have reached now, we have hope for the championship. We have it to a high degree. I believe we will see a completely different football when the injured players return. For me, the most important thing is the team's spirit, not giving up, and the fighting spirit. A family environment has been formed. My friends and I are hopeful," he explained.

"We will make great transfers at the end of the year"

Touching on the mid-season transfer period, Saran said, "Mid-season transfers are inherently very intense and difficult. No one wants to break up their team easily in the middle of the season. If they do, they ask for very high figures. It was a very difficult transfer process this year due to the World Cup. Despite that, we made 5 transfers. All of them are in line with what the coach wanted. I think Guendouzi is a unique footballer. Mert is one of the best goalkeepers in Turkey. With his gentleness and his leadership, he adds a lot to this team, and he will add much more. Sidiki is a player our coach has wanted from the very beginning, who runs a lot and shows great promise, but who needs the support of the fans. Kante. By the way, I was criticized on this issue, but I would like to thank our President once again for his support. And Musaba. We are happy with all of these transfers. We are being criticized that 3 more transfers could have been made. I am always open to constructive criticism. We may have shortcomings. We see them. Some work has begun for the end of the year. We will make great transfers at the end of the year, we will make additions to the team," he said.

"Lookman also wanted to come"

Explaining what happened regarding the Lookman transfer, the president of the yellow-navy team said the following:

"Let's come to the Lookman incident. I am generally not someone who likes to talk about players who are not in our team. But it was talked about so much that let's touch on it. On December 19, the first place I went as soon as my travel ban abroad was lifted was Milan. I went only and solely for Lookman. I met with Lookman's agent. My friends were there too. It went very well. Then we met with the club officials, it went quite well. I had to return in a hurry, but we never compromised on that process, we followed it very closely. They said they wanted a letter of guarantee 1 week after us, and that they hadn't been able to get one from Turkish clubs before. We said, 'We don't owe anyone anything. We will pay our debts, don't ask us for a letter of guarantee, we won't give it, you don't need it.' They said, 'You are right.' Then the process progressed. Atletico Madrid got involved. I had our coach meet with Lookman. It went very well. They met two or three times if I'm not mistaken. Lookman also wanted to come. In subsequent developments, we went up to 35 million Euros. Then Atalanta came again and asked us for a letter of guarantee. It became clear that they didn't want to give him to us. They preferred Atletico Madrid. Therefore, that process closed like that, the transfer didn't happen. As for En-Nesyri. They say 'En-Nesyri' is leaving. Unfortunately, those who cause him to leave are the ones shouting the most today. En-Nesyri came after the Africa Cup and said, 'I want to leave.' The reason? 'The protests made against me on social media and in the stadium, the harsh words. I can't take it anymore, I want to leave,' he said. There is nothing to do. We said 'Okay.' He is a player who is very suitable for the structure that our coach Sidiki has wanted from the beginning, who runs a lot and which I emphasize, which I call 'character.' A fighter. As I have been saying since the first day, 'We will build a team that puts its head into a kick.' We have a team that I am most proud of, that does not give up, and that runs on the field for 90 minutes. It is a team I have wanted from the very beginning. He was someone who fit that profile and our coach wanted him very much, so we bought him," he said.

"His saying 'I won't go to the match' was the last straw for me"

Clarifying the Jhon Duran issue, Sadettin Saran said, "We thought that the two of them would be quite good together. Jhon Duran is undoubtedly very talented. When making transfers, both from my days as an executive at Fenerbahçe and from Borussia Dortmund, I never look only at a player's talent, I look at their harmony in the team. Jhon Duran was not a player in the profile I would transfer. But he was one of the first players I spoke to on the day I was elected in Samandıra. I spoke Spanish, we explained. I said, 'Whatever you heard, you heard, a lot of things were said about us. We will be a family with you here.' He explained his problems. We talked 3-4 times a week. He also reached a good point. He scored very critical goals in very critical places. He kept us in the fight. Beşiktaş, Galatasaray... But unfortunately, there was a harmony problem from the first day. If we had continued with Jhon Duran, we would have betrayed the team because he started to put himself ahead of the team, unlike our other players. Finally, his saying 'I won't go to the match' on the day of the away Bucharest match, either the day before or the same morning, was the last straw for me. No player in Fenerbahçe can choose matches. Jhon Duran was a development we did not expect," he said.

"We will make very correct transfers at the end of the season"

Stating that they made 5 transfers during the mid-season, Sadettin Saran continued his words as follows:

"But at the point we have reached, we made 5 transfers. We are still being criticized. I can understand. I am open to criticism. They say 'We need 3 more transfers.' Let everyone be at ease about this. We are currently doing our work for the end of the season. We know our shortcomings. We will talk about where we went wrong at the end of the season anyway. But today we more or less know our shortcomings and we have transfer negotiations regarding them. We will make very correct transfers at the end of the season. It will be much better and easier than the mid-season one. We will sit down at the end of the season and make the right transfers to the right places. We know our shortcomings. We have met with many players whose names have appeared in the press. We have met with almost all of those whose names have appeared. Most of them said, 'Let us come in May, let us come in June.' As for those who wanted to come, their clubs did not want to let them go for the reasons I mentioned. A very serious effort was made, my friends and our technical team made a very intense effort in this transfer season. There are criticisms, there are insinuations, there are rumors. They worked day and night. If there is a mistake, all responsibility is mine. At the point we have reached, I am extremely pleased with the character of the players. I am also pleased with the transfers made. I trust our team, our coach. I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that we will be champions this year."

"The fundamental problem is the MHK"

Expressing his thoughts on the referees, Saran said, "I do not want Fenerbahçe to be a club that constantly spends its energy on referee decisions. It has not been my style to do this, both from my athlete identity and my past executive days. But let it not be thought that we are not shouting at microphones or doing what is necessary. Indeed, results have been obtained, and there are referees who have been rested. I even made a statement last week. At this rate, there will be no referees left by the end of the year. Because there are very grave mistakes. But the problem here is not the referees, the fundamental problem is the MHK (Central Referee Committee). We have some work regarding these as well. We don't just state the problems, we also produce solutions. We want fair competition, we don't want anything else. We didn't just beat Samsunspor last week, we also beat the MHK. This is not sustainable. Those who do this are undermining Turkish football and we will not allow this. Look, a tragicomic event. The yellow card given to Guendouzi for his celebration. Where did Torreira go, Sacha Boey kicked the corner flag... Not the slightest yellow card. It's like a joke, as if mocking... Therefore, we are very uncomfortable with these. We express our discomfort, only our way of expressing it is different. But we are getting results, and we will continue to get them. In the meantime, I want to address the referees, I want to make a very clear call. I don't want to get into the local referee, foreign referee issues. There are referees with good performance, and there are referees with bad performance. Our valuable referees, the next 9 weeks are very valuable and critical. We are entering a nine-week period that will determine the fate of the league. The decisions you make in these matches will be tracked for years. You need to go home with a clear conscience after these decisions. You need to be comfortable when you put your head on the pillow. As the President of Fenerbahçe, I especially want to convey this call to our referees," he said.

Congress decision

Regarding the congress decision, Sadettin Saran said, "I made this decision only and solely because I thought of Fenerbahçe's interests. You know that I am against Extraordinary General Assemblies. I was also against the general assembly I was elected in. I was thinking that it shouldn't happen either. Extraordinary general assemblies do not bring benefits to the club. They are harmful unless absolutely necessary. But I made this decision because I wanted the ongoing legal process regarding myself not to turn into an agenda around our club. I said I didn't want to talk about this issue either because the next 9 weeks are very important. I don't say unity and solidarity for nothing. When there is an election around May-June, then it will be talked about. Yes, there is also a reaction from the community and associations. There are those who say there is no need to hold a congress. There are many who say no one will come out, can one be a candidate for one year? But there is no point in discussing these. The community that will make the final decision on this is our community. The greatest referee is our community. Timing is everything. But when did I come out and become a candidate? I kept Fenerbahçe's interests in the first place. I kept it ahead of my own interests. I didn't let anyone attack each other. I became a candidate with my projects and thoughts. I didn't create an election atmosphere. Those who do these things are trying to create an election atmosphere. They are doing it knowing that it will also harm Fenerbahçe. This community will not forget those who forget that the Fenerbahçe president is currently in office," he explained.

"Some images in the Samsunspor match saddened me very much"

Emphasizing that some images in the Samsunspor match saddened him very much, Saran said, "Yes, Mert Müldür made a mistake. He will make more, we all do. But after that mistake, being whistled when the ball came to his feet, being insulted from the stands, and more sadly, what was said to his family and his fiancée is unacceptable. What was done regarding Ederson's wife is not acceptable. It doesn't suit us. We talked about the perceptions created on social media a moment ago. If we are standing against those who make us a target, we also need to stand against these. These are of no use to anyone. Our coach is the best coach, our players are the best players. The last 9 weeks... We will be champions with these players. Everyone needs to be aware of this. En-Nesyri, who scored 30 goals, did not say 'I want to leave' for nothing. Please let's be aware of this. It is not right, it is wrong for us to say goodbye in this way. Every player may not always give what is expected. This is quite normal. What needs to be done here is to protect the values brought to this club. We have to protect these values. Our fans also have to protect them. Making these players a target is of no use to anyone, it is harmful. We will be champions with this squad, but we cannot be without the support of our fans. Look, I can understand the anger our fans are experiencing. But the source of this anger is not the players on the field. The source of this is much deeper. We cannot make these players pay the price for not being champions for 11 years. This has undoubtedly caused deep problems. But we cannot take this out on our players. I don't think the Kadıköy atmosphere has lost its power, but unfortunately, that atmosphere fluctuates from time to time, we see this. The reason for this is not our fans, but the great expectation in our community. There is a tremendous expectation. But to reach this expectation, we need to turn Kadıköy into its former atmosphere, into hell. We will do this with our fans. Look, there are times when there is such an atmosphere in away games. It becomes a topic in the press. We have this potential, but we need the support of our fans until the end in the next 9 weeks without these fluctuations. We need them to stand behind our players. We cannot become champions otherwise. We will eliminate this championship longing together with these players, the coach, the management, and the fans," he said.