The season is over, the manager is gone, and Beşiktaş enters June with no coach, no starting goalkeeper under contract beyond today, and a list of candidates long enough to fill a team sheet. This is not a club in crisis: it is a club in limbo. And limbo is more dangerous.
The man who isn't coming (or is he?)
Beşiktaş issued a formal denial this week: no meeting took place with Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner (1). Case closed, you would think. Then Turkish media doubled down, insisting Glasner is precisely the target, and the public denial is tactical misdirection while negotiations proceed quietly (14). Whether you believe the club or the press, the episode reveals the fundamental problem: nobody, including the football director and the president, seems to be steering the narrative with any clarity. Fans are not asking if Glasner is coming, they are asking who is coming, and six weeks after Sergen Yalçın's departure, the answer remains the same as it was on day one.
The list has grown unwieldy. Marko Nikolic has reportedly been offered a two-year contract (18). A former Milan manager has entered the frame (15). Filipe Luis was courted, hesitated, and has now chosen Monaco instead (4). Carlos Vicens appealed until his 10 million euro release clause at Braga proved prohibitive (7). Ange Postecoglou remains the primary name in background discussions, with Thomas Reis as the fallback. Somewhere in this sprawl, a decision must be made, because preseason planning cannot wait for the perfect candidate.
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Three goalkeepers, zero clarity
May 31: Ersin Destanoğlu's contract expires today. The timing is not subtle. Beşiktaş has been chasing Flamengo's Rossi for weeks, submitting a formal offer and persisting despite a 10 million euro asking price (6) (12). Simultaneously, the club has entered the race for Andre Onana, though Trabzonspor lurks on the same target (10). Then came the Xabi Alonso angle: Chelsea's Filip Jorgensen has been cleared for sale, and Beşiktaş is interested (17). Three goalkeepers, three different profiles, three different price points. This is not a coherent transfer strategy; it is casting a wide net and hoping something sticks.
Wings, exits, and a world star
The squad review is underway and nobody is safe. Cengiz Ünder and Milot Rashica face uncertain futures, with two replacement candidates already identified (13). Harry Wilson, available on a free from Fulham, has emerged as a concrete target (8). Semih Kılıçsoy's loan at Cagliari has prompted an official statement from the Italian club's president, suggesting negotiations are active (3). And somewhere in the transfer briefings, a "world star striker" is being teased (19), the kind of ambition that sounds compelling until you remember the club still has no manager to sell the project to that striker.
Discussions for at least one departure have begun, with German sources driving the story (16). Amir Murillo, at least, brings a sliver of positive news: his World Cup call-up gives Beşiktaş representation on the biggest stage (12).
What comes next
Fourth place and Europa League play-off football is the platform. Trabzonspor's cup win handed Beşiktaş a European route that makes the managerial job more attractive and raises the stakes on recruitment. The next week must deliver movement on the coaching front, not more names floated through back pages. A goalkeeper announcement feels imminent given Destanoğlu's contract situation. But the real test is whether Önder Özen and Serdal Adalı can close a managerial appointment before the rumour mill consumes whatever credibility this process still has. Summer is short. Decisions cannot wait for July.
