Şenol Güneş announces: 'We will sign players based on the needs of the positions'

Trabzonspor Vice President Zeyyat Kafkas and Head Coach Şenol Güneş visited the Trabzon branch of the Turkish Sports Writers Association (TSYD) and chatted with reporters covering the burgundy-blue team. Stating that the energy and motivation of the players in the team are very high, Trabzonspor Head Coach Şenol Güneş said he never doubted the intentions of his players. Güneş said, "All the players are well-behaved; they are not problematic. They don't say, 'So what, we lost.' Even so, we shouldn't have lost at least half of the points we have dropped so far. The responsibility here lies with me. The energy and motivation of the players currently here are very high. We even played a match against the under-19 team. Then we played an internal scrimmage. In both matches, there was a team that applied what we wanted to do very well. But of course, we need to make this consistent. Our priority right now is to clarify at least 6-7 players of our core squad in the period until the mid-season break and then make changes if necessary. But I also know this very well: Transfers alone are not the solution; we need to get the best out of this group of players that we can," he said. 

"WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH A CONSISTENT SQUAD OR STYLE OF PLAY" 

Emphasizing that they have not been able to achieve consistency in the team, Şenol Güneş continued as follows:  

"We have not been able to establish a consistent squad or style of play. We are already performing below normal. We are also getting to see the players here. The reason I say 'there may be players leaving' is this: Every player we have can leave. I am not telling the players 'leave,' I am telling them 'play.' If you cannot play, we will help you. Because this club will undergo restructuring. Let those who contribute stay; we will build a squad. We have done it by reducing the numbers. Denswil, Orsic, and Bardhi are with their national teams. Now that they have arrived, they have a value. If they cannot contribute, can't they find a club and earn money? I tell them, 'Go and train,' and I also said, 'Come here and let me train you.'" 

Stating that a lot has been written and drawn about Draguş, Güneş said, "He has no intention of leaving. However, he wants to play. He had some problems, and these have been resolved. He has no complaints about the positions he plays in," he expressed. 

Regarding whether new names will join the technical staff, Şenol Güneş said, "I mentioned Mehmet Hoca (Kulaksızoğlu) before; we were thinking of evaluating him during the mid-season break, he will come today. He will be responsible for Social Relations. When Yattara came here before, he came to visit me. He was working at the academy at that time. He told me he wanted to do an internship at Trabzonspor. We accepted. He will stay here for a while and follow the training sessions," he said. 

Providing information about injuries in the defensive zone, Güneş said, "Serdar joined the training, it is difficult for him to play, but there are players available. Savic was good; I didn't play him in the Fenerbahçe match because it would be a risk, then the Rize match didn't happen. Now he feels uneasy again. He is also a question mark. Hüseyin was out for a long time. He had some deficiencies, he has returned to us now. There will be a change," he said. 

  "WE WILL SIGN PLAYERS BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE POSITIONS" 

Head Coach Şenol Güneş also spoke about transfer efforts, saying, "We are currently thinking of utilizing the players we have. We will sign players based on the needs of those positions. Since nothing is certain among them, let me state my priority. İhsan Derelioğlu will follow them, give them to me, and I will give them to the president. Finally, the president or I will decide. The scouting committee and others can watch, but no matter what they watch, we will decide in the end. In other words, the person watching will not have a decision. We will take the signatures and costs to the president, but I will make the decision in technical terms," he said. 

Regarding playing French player Mendy as a center-back, Güneş said, "In the first match I arrived, I played Savic and Denswil as center-backs. However, these players had injuries. Mendy can play as a center-back and also in the middle. For example, I also tried Lunstram there. We made these changes out of necessity. During this time, Serdar and Batagov also experienced injuries. There are 7 matches until the mid-season break. We will see everyone during this period," he said. 

Following the visit, Head Coach Şenol Güneş presented a jersey, flowers, and various gifts to TSYD Trabzon Branch President Selçuk Kılıç. TSYD Trabzon Branch President Selçuk Kılıç thanked Vice President Zeyyat Kafkas and Head Coach Şenol Güneş and conveyed his wishes for success.