Transfer statement from Okan Buruk: We must put it aside

In the 3rd week of the Ziraat Turkish Cup Group A, Galatasaray defeated İstanbulspor 3-1 at home. Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk made statements at the press conference held after the match.

Starting his words by wishing a speedy recovery to Ahmed Kutucu and İsa Doğan, who collided head-to-head during the match, Buruk said, "There was an unfortunate collision between Ahmed and İsa. I wish them both a speedy recovery. It seems Ahmed does not have anything very serious. It looked like there was a slight fracture for İsa. In such matches, we enter the locker room grateful that there is no major injury. In the last few matches, both players who have had less playing time and our new transfer played. We had the chance to play 3 young players from our academy. We finished by winning the match. We are happy in this sense, we reached 9 points. Our goal is to finish the group in first place. We played with pressure again in the match we played at our home today. We got the result in the first half. In the second half, both the opponent's settling back and our keeping the ball at our feet after 3-1 prevented the score from going much further. It was a good struggle for both teams. Other than that, the competition in 3 fronts is very important. We are in first place in the league. We are in first place in the Turkish Cup. We are continuing our path in Europe. We will play very important matches. During this process, seeing my players' performance today was very important for me. Singo returned from a long injury. I look at him as a new transfer. It took a very long time. He had the chance to play today. He wanted to play too. We wanted to play him safely. Singo's return to the fields was an important joy," he said.

"Renato Nhaga is an investment for the future"

Stating that they have entered the final days of the transfer window, the manager of the yellow-reds said, "We brought in two important players to the front line, Noa Lang and Yaser Asprilla. They will add quality to us and will be match-winners. We had a problem there. A great burden had been placed on the players in the front line. It was good for rotation. We had a search for the midfield. You cannot get everything you want. It is not easy to make transfers in the mid-season. The players we wanted and thought of did not happen. There is no point in making a transfer after buying a player I do not want. We went for a young player. Renato Nhaga is an investment for the future. We watched his matches. He is a player who can be in the squad right now. Other than that, we do not have any visible transfers," he said.

"We are better in terms of squad depth compared to the beginning of the season"

Stating that they expanded the squad in the winter transfer window, Okan Buruk continued his words as follows:

"Mario Lemina being suspended in the Juventus match is a disadvantage for us. We will find a solution to this as well. We want to use players who have played these big matches in Europe in this encounter. We are better in terms of squad depth compared to the beginning of the season. We could have been better. This applies to every team. We must focus on the pitch right now. Here, our president, our board of directors, and Abdullah Kavukcu are very well-intentioned. Our scouting team also has work. Sometimes there are players you cannot buy with money. In the previous years, we finished the end of the movie with happiness. We will do this again. I believe in this. We just need to focus on the pitch now. We have always started to play better whenever we came out of a transfer period. We want to show a better Galatasaray from now on. Questions are always about transfers. This is very difficult for me too. I want to focus on the pitch."

"The arrival of our two players to the front line created depth"

Speaking about Ivorian footballer Wilfried Singo, who returned to the fields after 74 days by getting time in the İstanbulspor match, Buruk said, "It was important for Singo to get time today. We will decide according to the course of the matches. We will decide later for the Juventus match. We have a versatile player like Sallai. We can use him in different places. We also have very good midfielders. The arrival of two players to the front line created depth. There is a Yunus Akgün who has recovered from injury. We rested him. He had pains. He is much better in the last few days. Barış Alper Yılmaz also rested a bit. I hope Leroy Sane will also recover from his injury. I do not know if he will play in the Süper Lig match against Çaykur Rizespor. Our front four line will be better. Gabriel Sara's performance has also increased," he expressed.

"We need to put the transfer business aside and focus on football"

The 52-year-old manager, who announced that they are interested in Spanish footballer Sergi Altimira, who plays for the Spanish team Real Betis, said, "The club could not get a replacement player. That is why they did not sell Altimira. We give our nights and days to this business. I am doing an incredible job with my team. We watch footballers for hours. Sometimes what you want does not happen. Transfer business is like this. Even if you convince the club, the player may not want to come to Turkey. There is a balance here. It is difficult to bring a young player here. We met with 3 young players we liked. They did not want to come. They see the Süper Lig as a decline. And no one gives away a player who plays directly. Very absurd figures can emerge. One needs to realize the good intention. Everything is for Galatasaray. When Galatasaray is happy, we are all happy. There is a fan base we are responsible for. We are ready to do anything for them. We added the transfers that will make me happy to our squad. We need to put the transfer business aside and focus on football. Are the criticisms justified? We cannot say anyone is unfair. There is a very large amount spent. You cannot say 'Galatasaray did not spend money'. Buying Victor Osimhen was not something a team in Turkey could do. Do not think I am protecting the management. Of course, there will be criticism. Besides this, one should also see the things done well," he evaluated.

Answering the question about the idea of working with a sporting director, Okan Buruk concluded his words by saying, "I am looking at the part that concerns me. The 3.5 years I spent at Galatasaray are very important to me. I gained very important experience. As a manager, I want to bring my team to the best state. I am not the one who decides on this business."

News Source: 12punto