The Slovenian international revealed the journey that lead him to making the move to the Istanbul club.
One of Fenerbahce’s newest transfers, Miha Zajc, gave an in-depth interview to a news outlet in his homeland to which he explained how his €4.5 million transfer to Fenerbahce on transfer deadline day came about.
When did you find out that you were going to continue your career in Istanbul?
“Fenerbahce was interested in me for the first time in December. But there was nothing concrete at that time. I didn’t know what was going to happen in Empoli and I wasn’t happy with the situation at the club. I didn’t know what to think. When I returned to the club after the winter, I felt I had to leave.
“After I decided to leave, an proposal came from Istanbul. I took it into consideration. I also spoke with my friend NEjc Skubic who plays for Konyaspor. But to make the decision to go to Fenerbahce was very difficult for me.
What convinced you the most?
“Fenerbahce is a really giant club. If you are not Turkish, it is very difficult to understand what Fenerbahce, or any club, means to the fans here. You cannot understand what Fenerbahce mean to them. You can’t understand how passionate they are and how connected they are to the club. Once you see ths, you feel that you’ve made the right decision.
“There were clubs from Italy and England that were interested in me but none made a concrete offer. To be honest, no one was going to pay me the amount of money Fenerbahce offered me.”
Why didn’t you want to stay in Empoli?
“Empoli changed coaches last year and the new coach didn’t trust me much. That was a surprise for me because I was playing well. But I understand his decision. I received it as a message that I need to continue my career elsewhere. In the end, it worked out great for me and I was able to go to Turkey.”
Were you concerned about not being paid your wages on time or other areas regarding Turkey? Generally, these aren’t issues in Europe.
“I heard about these things and I wanted to find out more information. I spoke with Fenerbahce’s sporting director about this. I knew they were interested in me and he explained to me that things are slowly changing. The club’s president was replaced last year and this brought radical changes. There are new strategies and policies regarding players in place.
In the end, they wanted a player like me.”
