مدير عام كرة القدم
- Buruk held direct talks with Sane
- Istanbul crowd left lasting impression
- German to feature mainly on the wings
Galatasaray coach Buruk has revealed how he personally played a key role in convincing former Bayern star Sane to join the Turkish giants from the Bavarians. The Germany international signed on a free transfer on July 1 after he rejected Bayern’s offer to extend his contract. The coach described the former Bayern star as a “dream signing” and plans to use him primarily on the wings but also centrally if needed.
Gala are preparing for a bold Champions League campaign, and Sane’s arrival signals their European ambitions. Buruk’s involvement in the transfer talks and the emotional pull of Galatasaray’s fanbase helped seal the deal, the coach says.
The Galatasaray boss said to Sky: “I was involved in the discussions from the very beginning. We had video calls, and I called him repeatedly to gauge the atmosphere. We also had very good discussions with our vice president, Abdullah Kavukcu. It was a dream of the Galatasaray fans to sign a player like Leroy Sane. It was also our dream to get him because he’s simply an incredible player. He has incredible skills. In my opinion, the decisive factor for the move was that he played against us twice with Bayern, once in Istanbul, once in Munich. The atmosphere in Istanbul was fantastic, and that really grabbed him. The way we played the game also won him over again. Now it’s all about getting him into the team as quickly as possible. It’s also nice that the Turkish champions and the German champions have come together here.”
Buruk also detailed how he envisions using Sane in the upcoming campaign: “He can play in all wing positions, including the center. The priority is for him to play in our wing positions. If we need him, he’s also willing to play in the centre.”
Gala continue their pre-season in Austria and are pushing to finalise a move for Victor Osimhen. With Sane already on board, Buruk is focused on integrating him into the squad. The Turkish champions aim to build a team capable of going deep in Europe, something they haven’t done in decades, and are betting on star power and tactical cohesion to make that leap.
