The Super Lig club’s chairman stated the club’s objective for the upcoming season is to remain in Turkey’s top flight.
Antalyaspor chairman Sefik Oz explained the club’s aim for next season as well as their summer transfer window targets during a press conference at the club’s Hasan Subasi facilities in Antalya.
The club will begin their pre-season training camp in Erzurum where the team will prepare for the 2018/19 season.
Oz underlined that they have to pay what they owe to existing players before any incoming transfers.
“We remained in the league last season because of the current players we have. So, first we have to pay them what we still owe. After that, we’ll make transfers. There are a lot of players who would like to come to Antalyaspor. We’re trying to bring the best we can. There are players who can sign immediately but we will only sign them when the economic conditions are right,” he explained.
Regarding the possibility of a big-name transfer, he was less enthusiastic.
“We don’t have the budget for it. Our goal is to stay in the league. We are entering a phase where we need to save. The exchange rates are very high. We are going through a dull transfer period. This applies to all teams. We will be as economical as possible. There will be no big-name transfers. Aside from the big four clubs, I don’t think there will be big budget transfers for the other clubs. Our goal is to remain in the league without issues. We’re going to balance the income and expenses.”
The chairman also pointed out that other Anatolian clubs are in a worse financial situation than themselves.
“We do not have a large amount of debt. We have a loan spread over time. Antalyaspor has the power to pay these debts. We will take care of it. We have to manage this crisis period well. Antalyaspor will be powerful again.”