02.06.2026 22:40
Acun Ilıcalı, the owner and president of Hull City, who achieved promotion to the Premier League, stated that it is difficult for them to transfer players from the Süper Lig next season, saying, "The average salary in big clubs in the Süper Lig has increased significantly compared to the last five years. Local players also earn quite good money. Due to this high salary structure, transferring players from Turkey does not seem very easy for us."
Acun Ilıcalı, owner and president of Hull City, which competes in the English Championship and successfully gained promotion to the Premier League, made exclusive statements to beIN Sports.
"I WAS PSYCHOLOGICALLY VERY WORN OUT"
Describing the behind-the-scenes of the promotion process to the Premier League, Acun Ilıcalı said, "We got the Premier League visa, but this process wore me out psychologically a lot. Just three days before the match, our opponent changed. We had been working on tactics for a completely different team for 10 days. Under normal circumstances, due to the espionage incident, my opponent should have been disqualified from the tournament, and we should have been directly promoted to the league. However, no matter what, they wanted that final match to be played. If we hadn't been promoted, we would have sought our rights through legal channels and gone to court."
"McBURNIE STAYS, WE WILL GET 8-10 NEW PLAYERS"
Referring to the team's new season squad planning, Ilıcalı stated, "I personally told Oli McBurnie that I trust him and that he will carry this team. He is not an ordinary forward; he will definitely stay with the team. He is immensely talented and an extraordinary player; he will continue with us. For next season, we will bring in 8-10 new players."
"IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET PLAYERS FROM THE SUPER LIG"
Finally, evaluating the transfer market in Turkey, Acun Ilıcalı admitted that financially it is not easy to pry players away from the giants of the Super Lig, saying, "The average salary at big clubs in the Super Lig has increased significantly compared to the last 5 years. Local players also earn quite good money, and they deserve it, of course. However, due to this high salary structure, transferring players from Turkey does not seem very easy for us."