Amrabat out the door, and the season is three weeks old
Sofyan Amrabat has left Fenerbahçe. The midfielder's contract was terminated by mutual agreement and he signed for Ajax on a deal running to 2028 (1) (2) (6). A regular starter walked out for free. Not sold, not loaned, released. In late August, with a Champions League group stage starting in under a fortnight.
That is the story of this week, and it says something uncomfortable about how this squad is being run. Three league games in, five players are absent for Samsunspor tonight: Asensio, Talisca, Çağlar, and Oosterwolde are out, and Kerem is being rested (31). So the club loses Amrabat for nothing, then turns up to an away fixture missing half a first choice eleven. This is not a settled project. It is a revolving door.
The transfer machine will not stop
The rumour mill has been operating at full speed. Fenerbahçe are reportedly moving for 18-year-old Gremio playmaker Gabriel Mec if Talisca leaves (17) (38). There is a push for Can Uzun, with the president said to have given instructions, in a move meant to beat Galatasaray (14). Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay is on the list after Champions League qualification (19) (25), and so is young Gremio goalkeeper Gabriel Menegon (28).
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Read that list again. Midfielder, playmaker, keeper, winger. This is not one targeted purchase, it is a scattergun. The vice president fielded questions on Rafael Leao and Marcus Rashford in the same week (3). Rashford, it turns out, declined to come to Turkey, so the club pivoted to two under-23 left wingers (30). Meanwhile, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya, a reported target, is heading to Hull City instead (24), and Rodrigo Becao could be the 11th departure, with Russian club Rodina involved (32).
Eleven players out the door. A starting midfielder released for free. And the answer to every gap appears to be another rumour.
What the table actually says
Two games, three points, tenth place, goal difference plus one. The opening loss at Gençlerbirliği was 2–1, then a 4–2 win over Konyaspor steadied things at home. One win, one defeat, no pattern yet except urgency.
What to watch
Samsunspor away tonight, then the derby against Beşiktaş on September 5, then AS Roma at home in the Champions League on September 10. Ten days that decide whether this chaotic summer produces a functional team. Watch the team sheet in Samsun. Whoever İsmail Kartal picks there tells you which of these rumoured signings are actually needed, and which are just noise (31).
