Istanbul Basaksehir coach Okan Buruk has backed ‘good guy’ Arda Turan to find success at his next club.
The 33-year-old finally departed Barcelona after his contract expired at the end of June, having not played for the Catalan giants since 2017.
Turan’s stint at Barca was a major disappointment after joining in 2015 from Atletico Madrid, where he had become a star star in Diego Simeone’s La Liga and Europa League winning side.
Due to Barcelona‘s transfer ban, the Turkey international had to wait until January 2016 to make his debut.
Turan played 55 times across 18 months for Barca before Ernesto Valverde froze him out for the 2017/18 season, and he was subsequently loaned in the winter transfer window to Istanbul Basaksehir on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
It was a tough time for Turan back in his homeland due to several controversial incidents. The attacking midfielder was fined 370,000 euros for a fight in a bar and also received a suspended sentence of two years and eight months in prison for shooting a gun in a hospital.
He was also suspended for 16 matches – later reduced to 10 – in 2018 for pushing an assistant referee in a match against Sivasspor. His loan with Basaksehir was ended prematurely in January after he making 11 appearances for Okan’s side this season.
Now linked with a return to Turkey with boyhood club Galatasaray, as well as German club Hannover, Turan has been given a positive endorsement by his former manager.
Speaking to Tribalfootball.com, Buruk said: “In the pre-season he did everything well.
“But, after that, he got injured and so he couldn’t play much, even because all the players where before him when he was available again.
“So, he decided to leave the club, in order to get a new start, a new team and I think that in the summer he will find a new club for him. He will be good, because he is a good guy and a big player.”
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