CELTIC MAY MISS OUT ON CAKIR...
S COULD FACE SAME ISSUES AS UNITED POST-KLOPP
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1986, own nage ham l but, ited ng in he y to nge. was k by in the scale of the job when he first arrived at Old Trafford.
After one of his early games, he tapped Moran on the shoulder as they headed down the tunnel. ‘Jeez, big club this, isn’t it?”
Ferguson showed he was up to the challenge but he was given time. That time isn’t there in the modern game.
Just ask Unai Emery. He has done really well at Aston Villa but taking over from an icon in Arsene Wenger didn’t work out.
Emery had a painful time in charge of Arsenal — in terms of the rough ride he was given by fans and by plenty in the media.
Start
Remember the way he was sneered at because off his pronunciation of ‘good evening’ at the start of post-match press conferences?
It was disrespectful and Emery must have been bewildered at the way he was slagged off.
After all, he was a former European Coach of the Year and had taken Sevilla to three Europa Leagues and guided Villarreal to that title for good measure.
But Emery was only given one full season at the club. In that 2018/19 campaign, Arsenal reached the Europa League final — losing to Chelsea, and finished fifth in the Premier League, one place higher than the season before.
It wasn’t enough.
The bar at the big clubs is very high. Klopp’s successor will find that out very quickly. (above)
END OF AN ERA: Jurgen Klopp will be a tough act to follow when he leaves Anfield this summer; (left) Unai Emery
CELTIC could be set to be priced out of the market after Saudi Arabian moneybags Al Ahli enquired about Turkish No.1 keeper Ugurcan Cakir.
The Trabzonspor shot-stopper has been linked with a €9million move to Parkhead this summer, with the Hoops looking for a replacement for the retiring Joe Hart.
However, it was reported that Trabzonspor are looking for closer to
£12m for the 28-year-old, who has won 27 international caps and has been with his club for 10 years.
Race
Now Jeddah giants Al Ahli have entered the race and would have no problem finding the money to meet Trabzonspor’s asking price for Cakir. The keeper has been linked to clubs in Europe in the past, with French cracks Bordeaux interested last year, but has remained in Turkey. He’s opted to leave the troubled world of Turkish football, with a fan attempting to challenge him on the pitch last week during a game against Konyaspor.
Al Ahli’s German boss Matthias Jaissle is an admirer of Cakir and could make his move this summer.