Top spot gone, Kocaelispor up next
Besiktas 3–0 Erzurumspor on Friday, and they are above you. Twelve points to your ten (6). Emirhan Topçu, Leandro Trossard and Ilhan Fakili scored it (6). You sit second, four played, +6, and the answer comes Saturday, September 13 at home to Kocaelispor at 19:00 CEST (1).
Okan Buruk had the squad back on the training pitch, working towards the Kocaelispor match on Sunday, September 13 (1).
Leao is being built for the first XI
Rafael Leao is being readied to start. Buruk is preparing the summer signing for the first XI against Kocaelispor and Trabzonspor (3). Leao did not come to Istanbul to sit.
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Both games matter. Kocaelispor at home on September 13, then Trabzonspor away on September 19 (1). That is the stretch where Buruk wants his big name on the pitch from the off.
Camavinga was close, and he said no
Galatasaray were ready to pay just over €50m for Eduardo Camavinga. He refused to leave Real Madrid and wants to stay (Moretto, fan reports). The French midfielder, 23, is still first on the club's list for the January window, and they are watching his situation closely (5).
A bigger January operation is being planned (9). Camavinga is the name. Whether Real Madrid let it happen is another matter.
UEFA complaint after Sporting
Galatasaray are taking the Sporting Lisbon Champions League match to UEFA. The club decided to go to the governing body after the game, which you lost 3–1 away on September 9 (4).
That is the only Champions League result of this run so far. The reaction from the club is formal now.
Icardi to England, Zaha still without a club
Mauro Icardi is heading to the Premier League, per reports, after his Galatasaray contract ended and he agreed nothing with anyone else (10).
Wilfried Zaha, who also left the club, is still a free agent. Talks with Botafogo stalled over pay, and he is weighing other options (7).
Hakim Ziyech, another former Galatasaray man, has signed for Botafogo until 2028 after a short spell at Wydad Casablanca (11).
Sunderland are still chasing Geny Catamo, the Sporting player who scored against you, and sent an emissary to Alvalade for the Champions League match (12).
Fan reactions
The mood is split between transfer regret and frustration with the manager. A viral Moretto post claims Galatasaray were ready to pay over €50m for Camavinga and he simply did not want to leave Madrid, which stings more than a missed bid.
Others are grading the transfer committee's summer work rather than blaming Buruk alone for the Sporting lineup. Juan Mata's retirement and a Champions League Matchday 2 preview are also doing the rounds.
