11.07.2025 18:10
Sivasspor's head coach Osman Zeki Korkmaz compared the style of his former student Gaoussou Diarra, who transferred from İstanbulspor to the Dutch club Feyenoord, to that of the former French footballer Thierry Henry. He stated, "Diarra will be the second Thierry Henry. I believe he will achieve significant success and make even better transfers in the future."
Gaoussou Diarra, who came to Istanbul from Mali for university education and quickly started his professional football career by playing in the Trendyol 1st League for Istanbulspor, has transferred to the Dutch team Feyenoord for a transfer fee of approximately 4 million Euros.
Regarding the background of this striking transfer, Diarra's former coach at Istanbulspor, Osman Zeki Korkmaz, spoke to the İhlas News Agency (IHA).
'I REALIZED THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS KID ON THE FIRST TRY' Starting his words by explaining how they discovered Gaoussou Diarra, Korkmaz said, "After returning from the pre-season camps, we were advised to try the Malian player Gaoussou Diarra, who was playing for Tuzlaspor. We had just returned from the camps, and there were about 10 days left until the league started. When I took him for a trial, I realized there was something special about this kid on the first try, and I told the president directly. I tried him once more and said to my president Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu, 'We shouldn't miss this kid, he's a very unusual player, he can dribble, shoot hard, has fast dribbling, and we can make money from him in the future.' With my president's courage and my skill, we made this transfer happen. In fact, our president sent 3 players with their money to acquire Diarra. When this kid went to the Netherlands, he started to attract everyone's attention. I would like to thank Ecmel Faik Sarıalioğlu, who believed in us. If he hadn't believed, this transfer wouldn't have happened. Trabzonspor also inquired about Diarra, coach Güngör Şahin called, but no one else asked," he stated.
'WE DON'T HAVE A SINGLE CENT TO THROW AWAY' Osman Zeki Korkmaz stated that all teams in European and world football examine players through data in digital environments, saying, "Agents are after selling what they have. You mention a player for a certain region, and agents are trying to sell a player from a completely unrelated region. I understand them too. They are after their bread, but we don't have a single cent to throw away," he said.
'THIS TRANSFER IS NOT OUR FIRST' Recalling that national player Zeki Çelik also took his first step into European football from Istanbulspor, Korkmaz said, "This transfer is not our first. You know Zeki Çelik, who plays for Roma, also left from Istanbulspor. While we were playing in the 1st League, he transferred to France's Lille team and then to one of Italy's most important teams, Roma. No other team has managed to send two players from the 1st League to Europe. The success here was also the success of President Ecmal Faik Sarıalioğlu. Because he trusted his team and got the return," he said.
'DIARRA WILL BE THE SECOND HENRY' The 43-year-old coach stated that he compares Gaoussou Diarra's style to that of former French footballer Thierry Henry, saying, "In short, with the right analysis and a president who believes and stands firm behind, much more can be achieved. We saw this at Istanbulspor. Diarra will also be the second Thierry Henry. I believe he will achieve very important successes and make even better transfers in the future," he evaluated.