Okan Buruk explained how the Osimhen transfer took place during a live broadcast.

Galatasaray Technical Director Okan Buruk made striking statements about many current issues in a program he participated in on TRT Spor, which was broadcast live. Buruk also explained the transfer process of Osimhen.

"GENERALLY WE START BADLY BUT CONTINUE WELL"

Highlights from Okan Buruk's statements are as follows;

"Generally, we start badly but continue well. In terms of performance, we find our performance a bit more around September and October. The most challenging aspect this season has been the players coming from the national team. Last season was very long. We went all the way to the end of the European Championship. Davinson went all the way in Copa America. We gave them 2 weeks off to restart, adapt, and live football. I spoke to many people; this issue occurred in all teams.

YOUNG BOYS AND BEŞİKTAŞ MATCHES

The Young Boys matches, the Beşiktaş match. No matter how many players we were missing, or whether we completed the transfer, it upset us to play poorly. Sometimes you play well and get eliminated; you might be unlucky. Playing poorly upset us. There is a good side to it. I see it as a good thing; being in the Europa League, seeing the path there. We set goals for ourselves. Contrary to the sadness there, we are hopeful about moving up in the Europa League.

"HOLIDAY PERIODS ARE VERY LOW"

Barış Alper played 69 matches last season. If he could take a month off, he could adapt to the new season. They struggled a lot mentally. Even we took a month off, and when they came back, they said how quickly they started. Holiday periods in football are very low. Many players have such statements; the schedule is crowded. In basketball and volleyball, holidays are long, but in football, they are very short. Some of our players, like Abdülkerim, who are physically strong, find their form later. Nelsson is the same. Our biggest problem in the Young Boys matches was this. Davinson was injured, he was not there; the others were not there, there were no right or left backs. We had difficulties in defensive structure. It also affects the game. We are a team that plays forward. We couldn't play the game up front. We gave the opponents too many chances in that sense.

"THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD"

Something you won't encounter anywhere in the world. Incredible impatience. It exists in the country, the first culprit is the technical director. When we win, we all win together; even the chair he sits on has an effect. When we lose, it's the technical director. I accepted this too. One year we won 14 matches, and when we lost the 15th, all hell broke loose. Last season we won 17 matches, and when we lost the 18th, it became a big deal.

FENERBAHÇE MATCH

I think Fenerbahçe played normally against us, coming out with the same game and similar 11 as in the Kasımpaşa match. The confrontations up front, the second and third zone confrontations matched the analysis of the Kasımpaşa match. The important thing was to find the first goal. Once we found two goals suddenly, the match was over. If it were 1-1, it would be different; if you fall behind 1-0, it could be different. After catching 2-0, we passed the match very comfortably.

JOSE MOURINHO'S WORDS

It is very nice that Mourinho is in our country. A name loved and respected by everyone, a world-class figure. Mourinho's presence in Turkey is a great joy for all of us. His character, what he has done before, both on and off the field, were things we expected and were prepared for. This is his style; we must accept and love this style. Before and after the derby match, we hugged and left the field. There was nothing in that sense. He sees you as a rival, the champion of the last two years, perhaps a strategy. This was a strategy against the champion team, not directly against Galatasaray or me.

"KEREM ALWAYS HAD A DREAM OF EUROPE"

I think Kerem was always playing well. He was always close to scoring but missed. He scored 3 goals in Benfica. He wanted to go, he really wanted it. Kerem always had a dream of Europe; he wanted to go and see himself there. We all wanted this when we were players. There is always a chance to return here, but he wants to go to Europe. Kerem is playing better and better. He has become a player more recognized in Europe, both in the Champions League and league performance. He missed an unlucky penalty in the national match. Even Hakan Çalhanoğlu missed a penalty for the first time.

PREFERENCE OF SYSTEM

Depending on the opponent, I am considering using both 3-man and 4-man formations for the match. Because we got efficiency from 3-4-1-2. We matched up man-to-man with the opponent. Since Tottenham plays 4-3-3, we directly matched with 2 strikers and a stopper, while Mertens matched with Bissouma. One of the reasons we played 3-4-1-2 was to apply man-to-man pressure. 1-2 actually closes that area. There, the job of the back 3 becomes more difficult. We used Davinson on the right flank and Kaan in the middle. Davinson could close both inside and outside. Abdülkerim also played one of his best matches, closing the flank and squeezing inside.

TRANSFER WORDS

There is more than 1.5 months until the transfer window. The Europa League goes until January 30. If you buy someone, you can't play them; if you sell, you lose what you have. You need to think carefully about which players to send. Nobody knows, but you can add 3 players there, even if you take out 5. In the current setup, we have Sallai, who cannot enter the squad. We can make 2 transfers and add them to the list. We will think correctly about the transfer in due time.

"IT'S NOT EASY TO BRING PLAYERS HERE"

There is always a lot of pressure in transfers. Too much, unnecessary. Constantly transfer transfer transfer transfer. Constantly transfer resignation transfer resignation transfer resignation. This pressure sometimes leads to mistakes. It was like this last season too. Something big happens, and the expectations rise a lot. After Osimhen arrives, expectations will always rise. High expectations are a good thing, but sometimes you want it, you like it, you accept all conditions, but the player does not accept. It's not easy to bring players here.

"FOREIGN VAR REFEREE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED"

We are confused about what to say about the referee issue. Should they be young or experienced? We give confidence to neither. The referee needs to show that confidence. In Italy, for example, referees are very dominant. You see their weight on the field. I think that confidence needs to be given; as long as the referee is not comfortable, both the experienced and the young make mistakes. I think there is a mistake; nobody intentionally puts themselves in a bad situation. Why would they harm themselves knowingly? There are too many confusions. The thing I struggle with the most is the lack of standards. In the same position, one gives a foul, and another does not. One gives a card, and another does not. It disturbs me whether it is in my favor or against me. The foreign VAR referee is going in the right direction. There was no sound from there last year. The outside noise was cut off. If it is going to be better, a foreign VAR referee should be considered. There are too many matches. Bringing a foreign referee is not an easy organization.

"MISTAKES ARE MADE IN OUR FAVOR AND AGAINST US"

In the penalties in our last match, you can say both that it is a penalty and that it is not. I say to the referee that it is shoulder to shoulder with Davinson; he says it is a penalty. The second penalty awarded against us does not feel like a penalty to me. Did he put his hand there or not? He says he did. He made a mistake against us in the 10th minute, but you won the match. He made a mistake in your favor in the 10th minute; we won 4-0; will you say he got 3 points in that match? These are relative things. Some positions do not matter.

In the Antalya match, there was a position involving Tete, he was called from VAR, it was a toe incident, in the 10th minute of the match. You can't say Galatasaray won that match with a penalty. Last-minute penalties, last-minute decisions are different; you affect the score when the time is up, you don't affect it in the early minutes. Mistakes are made both in our favor and against us, and this is the case for all teams. In the beginning of the season, Trabzonspor had a few mistakes against them, and there was a mistake in favor of them in the Göztepe match. So far, I don't think it has clearly affected everything, but mistakes are being made. A mistake was made against me, but I won the match, so I don't mention it much. The Adana Demirspor match, the Samsunspor match. 2 penalties were given, but I don't say anything. I can't clearly say that this team has always been favored or disadvantaged by mistakes.

BARIS ALPER YILMAZ'S FUTURE IN THE TEAM

Important offers came for Barış as well, but we never thought of letting him go. Barış stayed. We do not plan to let Barış Alper go until the end of the season. We have a goal in Europe, after all. The format has changed, no new team will come from the Champions League. These 36 teams will continue. We know what will happen. Not just us, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş also need to keep an eye on it. All three teams have the potential to reach the final, with these squads, these teams, and these fans. We need to chase as three teams.

"OSIMHEN SAID HE WILL STAY"

There is more than 1.5 months until the transfer window. The Europa League goes until January 30. If you buy someone, you can't play them; if you sell, you lose what you have. You need to think carefully about which players to send away. No one knows, but you can add 3 players there, even if you take out 5, you can still add 3. Osimhen himself said he will stay. I don't think he will leave in January. There is no such thing. There have been offers for Barış Alper as well. But of course, we don't want to let him go; we have a goal. We have goals in Europe and the league until the end of the season.

HOW DID THE OSIMHEN TRANSFER HAPPEN?

When Gardi told me, I said, 'No way!' Since he is someone I was in contact with, he called me directly. There were transfer news about Osimhen all summer. I knew he was off the list; we had a video call. He knew Galatasaray very well thanks to Mertens. He went to our president, and we explained the situation. Normally, if we said we wanted to get another striker, they would beat us up. We explained it to our president in the best way possible. You don't pay rental fees; you pay the remaining salary. It positively affected the community. He has a good character and took ownership of this place. Initially, I thought about how we could structure the system since Icardi was there.