Çağdaş Atan: 'It is not possible for Dubois to leave'

RAMS Başakşehir manager Çağdaş Atan stated that they have no intention of letting go of French footballer Léo Dubois, who is currently rumored to be returning to Galatasaray.

Atan made these remarks during the press conference held after their 2-0 victory against İstanbulspor at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, which took place during the 24th week of the Trendyol Süper Lig.

Evaluating the match, Atan said, "We knew we had to play with high concentration, react well after losing the ball, and execute both our individual performances and offensive sets. I thank my players for sticking to the plan and playing with high concentration. Coach Osman and İstanbulspor deserve respect. After the Trabzonspor match, we thought they would cause trouble for some teams, and that is exactly what happened. We played a serious match against a difficult opponent today. We continue on our path by winning."

"It is not possible for us to allow Dubois to leave"

The manager of the orange-navy blue team expressed that they cannot allow Dubois, who is playing on loan, to return to Galatasaray during the mid-season transfer window.

Stating that there have been discussions between the clubs at the presidential level, Atan noted the following:

"A week ago, we gave him an extra day off. He called me from France and said, 'Coach, I want you to hear it from me. There is such a situation.' Since that day, he has not brought up the subject again. I thank him for that. There has been no request from him to leave. The administrations have spoken at the presidential level. We believe we have given the necessary response. Dubois is a very important player for us. He is a player whose role in the game is very different; I have used him in midfield, on the wing, and for the last 2-3 matches, at left-back. It is impossible for us to replace him during the mid-season break. It is also not possible for us to allow a potential departure of Dubois. The player himself has no such request either. In that phone conversation that day, he said he enjoys playing here and is happy. Therefore, we are continuing on our way. For us, he is a player who is difficult to replace during the mid-season."

"We want to reach our goal of the top 4-5 and qualify for European competitions"

Çağdaş Atan stated that their goal is to finish the league in the top 5 and qualify for European competitions.

When reminded that the team had zero points after 4 matches when he took over, Atan commented: "When we arrived, there was a 7-point gap between us and the fifth-place team. At the signing ceremony that day, we said, 'We don't have zero points. There is a 7-point gap between us and the fifth place.' Honestly, we were very late in making progress. It took time to establish the right style of play, get to know the players, and integrate into the club's operations. It was difficult for us because it was the first time we had taken over a team during the season. Things started to fall into place, especially after the 10th match, once we got to know the players."

Emphasizing that their goals have grown, the young manager concluded his remarks by saying: "We always had a dream. Our initial dream, even if it was a distant goal, was to reach the top 6. However, we have bigger dreams now. We wanted to win today and watch the Beşiktaş-Trabzonspor match more comfortably. Çaykur Rizespor dropping points at home before our match made us even more eager. Hopefully, we want to achieve our goal of finishing in the top 4-5 and qualify for European competitions. We will also embrace the Turkish Cup with all our might. Başakşehir has gone to Europe 8 times in 10 seasons. If we can achieve this after coming from so far behind, our story will be a great one. Our players believe in this as well."

News Source: 12punto