Dele-Bashiru's confession about Volkan Demirel: They took action as soon as they heard about his resignation.

05.01.2026 20:20

Tom Dele-Bashiru, the Nigerian midfielder of Gençlerbirliği, stated that the resignation of their former coach Volkan Demirel surprised everyone in the team. The star player explained that they tried to convince the young coach, saying, "We were shocked. Because this decision came after a victory. We also tried to persuade him not to leave. He did not change his mind."

The midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru, who plays for the Super League team Gençlerbirliği, answered questions from AA reporter.

'IT WAS LIKE A TURNING POINT'

Recalling that they started preparations for the second half of the season, the 26-year-old midfielder said about the bad luck they experienced in the first weeks, "There is a struggle in the matches I watched, a lot of effort is made for victory, but unfortunately, the 3 points were not coming. When I first arrived, we played a match against Rizespor. I think we deserved the victory in the Rizespor match, but it was a match we at least deserved to draw. Unfortunately, we ended the match with a defeat, but it was like a turning point. Because very good football and a very good struggle were displayed. After that, the first victory came with the Eyüpspor match." he evaluated.

'IT WILL BE MUCH BETTER'

Evaluating his individual performance in the first half of the season, the Nigerian player said, "I think I started well. I can say that I have shown an average and above-average performance. There is an adaptation period to the league. I went through this process as well. I believe I can do much better. If I build on my performance so far in the second half, it will be much better." he stated.

'WE WERE ALL SURPRISED, EVEN SHOCKED'

Dele-Bashiru stated that they experienced "shock" as a team when they heard about the departure decision of head coach Volkan Demirel. Tom Dele-Bashiru, who mentioned that they tried to convince Volkan Demirel, said, "We were all surprised, even shocked. Because this decision came after a victory. We all felt good. Things had started to go well, we were starting to build on it, but suddenly he announced that he made such a decision. Sometimes you have to respect people's personal decisions. We also tried to persuade him. He did not change his mind. We need to look ahead. We respected the decisions of those who made them, and we looked ahead and continued." he expressed.