Besiktas to part ways with 5-6 players

The Black Eagles are preparing to part ways with 5-6 players in the January transfer window.

Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas have laid out their plans for the winter transfer window. Club president Fikret Orman spoke to NTV Spor during which he confirmed the club’s intentions in January.

According to Orman, the club will get rid of 5 or 6 players and will bring in 2 or 3, of which one or two will be defenders and one could be a forward.

“At the moment, Senol Gunes is our coach and we will have meetings with him to find out which areas he would like to see reinforced. There will be incoming transfers. We will sign two or three players. One or two will be defenders. We’ll see about a centre-forward. We have a lot of alternatives for that position. We’ll combine our strategies with our coach in our meeting,” he revealed as he spoke on the live broadcast on Tuesday evening.

Orman speaking about his plans for January

While the club’s president didn’t reveal the names of the players who will leave the team, there has been speculation who they might be.

Brazilian striker Vagner Love is widely expected to leave after the player dropped hints that he is unsettled and is open to a return to his native homeland. Canadian striker Cyle Larin could also leave as the player seeks more playing time. Though, a temporary loan until the end of the season is more likely in his case.

Injury-prone winger Gokhan Tore, who has essentially been forgotten about, is another name that has been mentioned by reports in Turkey. Midfielder Tolgay Arslan is another certain player to head for the exit door due to his falling out with the club’s administration over a contract dispute.

Goalkeeper Tolga Zengin, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, is a fringe player who is also very likely to be moved on. The experienced goalkeeper has made just 6 league appearances in the last 3 seasons for Besiktas.

Fikret Orman also dropped a clue about Trabzonspor forward Burak Yilmaz, who is widely expected to make the move to Istanbul in January.

“As far as Burak, his quality is obvious. He is a Besiktas fan. His father is my namesake. Burak has made it known he is a fan of Besiktas since day one. I’m happy that he has said he is a fan. But he is contracted to a club,” he said referring to the rumours linking Besiktas with the Trabzonspor striker.

Orman also revealed his admiration for Istanbul Basaksehir midfielder Arda Turan and head coach Abdullah Avci.