GALATASARAY
Financial restraints hit home
Not to put too fine a point on it, Turkey’s reigning domestic champions need all the continental prize money they can get their hands on.
Reported to have debts of around € 300m, the Istanbul club have been living beyond their means for some time, recklessly indulging in unsustainable transfer fees and wages.
They were banned from European competition in 2016-17 for breaking financial fairplay rules and were in the UEFA dock again this summer, where they were fined for not complying with financial targets.
Their ability to overspend is now limited, with a maximum permitted deficit of € 20m in 2019 and € 10m the year after. Further undermined by the dreadful state of the Turkish economy, Gala have no choice but to embrace austerity.
Inevitably, the first item on the costcutting agenda was the playing budget. New signings have been few and far between, with the list of arrivals restricted to on-loan Henry Onyekuru, Akhisar Belediyespor forward Mugdat Celik and Alanyaspor midfielder Emre Akbaba.
“Those times of spending millions on over-age stars have gone,” says club president Mustafa Cengiz.
Will Galatasaray struggle with a lack of creativity in midfield?
In North African stars Sofiane Feghouli and Younes Belhanda they have a pair of gifted playmakers who are full of craft and invention. The problem is they are both inconsistent, which is a source of frustration for coach Fatih Terim.
Who could be their secret weapon in Europe?
The goals, assists and counter-attacking ability of Cape Verde winger Garry Rodrigues could be a godsend. The 27year-old flyer can be dangerous when running free in open spaces.