Turkish Süper Lig 25/26 Preview

LGOP Felix Morson-Pate has specialised in the top flight in Türkiye recently and gives us his expert opinion on this Band 2 league

We have had

Craig Bradley

writing us an Eredivisie preview and now we have Felix Morson-Pate to fill us in on another Band 2 league.

Band 2 leagues, Belgium and Portugal top tiers being the other ones, are exceptionally important scouting leagues for English and top Scottish teams because these are the leagues that it is very possible to get a player who passes GBE.

Türkiye is definitely the black sheep of the Band 2 leagues. The contrast in basic pay from top to bottom, the contrast in playing styles across the league and, to be blunt, the different practices in the agencies and the management, make it a less familiar market to buy from.

But, all of that means that it is also lesser scouted by your competitors.

We will delve into Belgium and Portugal in their 25/26 seasons in due course, for now, check out Craig’s preview and then feast your eyes on Felix's offering here.

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Turkish Super Lig 25/26 preview

Felix Morson-Pate

The world’s most fun and farcical league returns tomorrow, and given the amount of EFL representation in the league as well as the broad football knowledge possessed by the squad, I thought I’d give you a quick breakdown of the 18 sides (mainly to make sure my knowledge gained in the last year isn’t entirely futile😂)

Alanyaspor

Last season: 13th

Star man: Nicolas Janvier - a versatile midfielder with a penchant for a long shot and one of the league’s best passers

EFL Heritage: Andraz Sporar - Whilst ex Hudds RB Hadergjonaj played well last season, it’s Sporar who will need to fire to replace Sergio Cordova’s output

Star Signing: Maestro - With a name like that, you have to be good, and he was a small beacon of hope in a dreadful Adana Demirspor side

One to Watch: Umit Akdag - Returns from a loan spell at Toulouse and could see suitors in January for the young CB

Antalyaspor

Last season: 15th

Star man: Jakub Kaluzinski - A young Pole who impressed in this summer’s u21 Euros. Another excellent creator with the ball able to play central or wide and pick out passes with aplomb

EFL Heritage: Kenneth Paal - Paal joins 2 former Hull men in Antalya this season where he is likely the replacement for 37 year old Guray Vural (although he was generally very good last season)

Star Signing: Tomas Cvancara - The side have lost a lot of forwards from last year, Gaich and Larsson most prominently, and the Czech is one of 3 new strikers brought in to plug the gap. His pedigree should see him go well

One to Watch: Poyraz Yildirim - Another forward brought in, the youngster showed promise in flashes for Trabzonspor, and had a good loan in the 2nd tier

Basaksehir

Last Season: 5th

Star man: Miguel Crespo - Another versatile central midfielder, but one who’s best work tends to come off the ball with his work rate and ball winning. Reads the game and starts counters very well

EFL Heritage: Festy Ebosele - Injuries stunted the Irish defender’s start to Super Lig life but those who saw him at Derby and Watford know the talent he possesses, and I fully expect him to blossom this campaign

Star Signing: Eldor Shomurodov - It was a coin flip between him and Hamburg’s Davie Selke, but both will need big seasons to fill the goalscoring boots of Krzystof Piatek, who dragged Basaksehir to results at times last year

One to Watch: Hamza Gureler - A young defender who broke into the XI midway through last term, he’s a strong passer and improving in the air. Expect senior Turkiye recognition soon

Besiktas

Last Season: 4th

Star man: Rafa Silva - He came in hot from Benfica last year, with 17 league goal contributions and an abundance of shots and mazy dribbles. One of the league’s standout players

EFL Heritage: Tammy Abraham - With a nod to the Ox and Milot Rashica, it’s all eyes on how well Tammy Abraham can take to Turkiye and emulate Ciro Immobile for Solskjaer’s men. I fully expect 20 goals from a fully fit Abraham and to be Osimhen’s most serious threat for the Golden Boot. Should have fun in the Conference League too

Star Signing: David Jurasek - One of two signings from Benfica, Jurasek is likely to be more integral for now than Kokcu on account of replacing Arthur Masuaku, who has left after a resurgent season in 2024/25

One to Watch: Keny Arroyo - A Colombian winger who looked electric in limited minutes last season. Seems dynamic, willing to take on his man and has an eye for goal

Eyupspor

Last Season: 6th

Star man: Berke Ozer - Arguably the standout keeper in the league last season, preventing almost 9 goals per Fotmob and at times single handedly keeping Eyupspor in the race for Europe despite a nosedive in form. Made the most saves in the division too

EFL Heritage: Samu Saiz - A bit of a cult hero from what I can remember at Leeds, Saiz was loaned out in the 2nd half of last season but a fresh start under new coach Selcuk Sahin could give him the chance to be back in the side after a good enough campaign pre Christmas

Star Signing: Kerem Demirbay - They’ve made a host of interesting additions but it’s the arrival of Demirbay from Gala that catches the eye. Brings quality and experience to a midfield that had a tendency to fold at points last term

One to Watch: Huseyin Maldar - Sporadic substitute appearances for the teenager could evolve into a bigger role as a number of wide options have departed the club

Fatih Karagumruk

Last Season: 3rd (1. Lig)

Star man: Daniel Johnson - Former Preston man Johnson is the beating heartbeat of the team, playing around 2500 minutes last season, grabbing five goal contributions and adding experience and creativity to the team

EFL Heritage: Andre Gray - Alongside Johnson is journeyman Gray, who joined from Plymouth in January. He will likely lead the line and be their main source of goals and nous

Star Signing: Jure Balkovec - The ‘Slovenian Leighton Baines’, an attacking left back and free kick specialist, he’s a fun player to watch and adds thrust to the left hand side

One to Watch: Marius Tresor Doh - He played the 2nd most minutes last term and will look to impress on his bow in the top flight. Seems to be a busy holding player with a habit of leaving his mark on opponents

Fenerbahce

Last Season: 2nd

Star man: Fred - It was En Nesyri and Dzeko that grabbed the goals, but Fred was the tempo setter for the most part. He highlighted the all round polished game that led him moving to Old Trafford in the first place so often

EFL Heritage: Lincoln - Plenty of men with experience in England but it’s last season’s Hull loanee that has the most EFL game time. Seemed like he offered some nice ball playing and not much else on Humberside

Star Signing: Jhon Duran - Semedo plugs a big gap in the squad but it’s the fireworks and outrageous talent of the Colombian we all want to see, particularly if he and Mourinho don’t always see eye to eye

One to Watch: Archie Brown - Would like to see the Derby academy graduate get some rotational minutes after impressing in Belgium in recent years

Galatasaray

Last Season: 1st

Star man: Victor Osimhen - A top 3 striker in the world who made the Super Lig his playground last season. 26 goals in just shy of 26 90s and the underlyings to back it up. An absolute monster at this level

EFL Heritage: Gabriel Sara - In Osimhen’s shadow, Sara put up one of the best creative seasons in generally a deeper lying role. More or less led the league in all relevant passing and chance creation metrics and offered goal threat too

Star Signing: Leroy Sane - Very intrigued to see how the 29 year old gets on. He should still be far too good for the level, and it’s a statement that they’ve attracted him, it’s just a question of motivation as to how good he can really be this season

One to Watch: Metehan Baltaci - Centre back who got a few minutes when the side switched to a back three. Offered threat at set pieces and has a raking long pass on him as well

Genclerbirligi

Last Season: 2nd (1. Lig)

Star man: Metehan Mimaroglu - A wide forward with 14 goals and 9 assists in the promotion campaign whilst playing nearly 3000 minutes and offering defensive contributions too

EFL Heritage: Peter Etebo - Goutas has joined from Cardiff, alongside the former Watford and Stoke man, who didn’t seem to offer all that much last term which doesn’t bode well…

Star Signing: Henry Onyekuru - Thalisson adds experience at the back but personally I’m intrigued by the man who Everton signed and never even got a work permit for. A tricker winger by all accounts

One to Watch: Goktan Gurpuz - A young 10 rejoining on loan from Trabzonspor after 35 games last season. Very dribbly and loves a cross field switch

Goztepe

Last Season: 8th

Star man: Romulo - A do it all forward who I thought may move to sister club Southampton. Scores, creates and carries with skill and aggression, but does his best work in a front 2

EFL Heritage: Furkan Malak - Not much here but being owned by Sport Republic means they are sent bright Saints loanees each season. Malak joins Juan and Mateusz Lis at Goztepe this year as a midfield option

Star Signing: Arda Kurtulan - A number of interesting options but Kurtulan was another who impressed amongst the sorry state of Adana Demirspor last term as a physical dribbling right wing back

One to Watch: Taha Altikardes - A big old school centre back who is a real goal threat from corners, thrives in aerial duels and is no mug on the ball either. One of the league’s best talents and should receive international recognition and possibly a big move soon

Gaziantep

Last Season: 12th

Star man: Alexandru Maxim - Club captain, Romanian veteran, and the driving force of Gaziantep. Adept as an 8, 10 or out wide, he is a passing savant with excellent delivery from the wings and set pieces and takes a mean penalty. Reads the game excellently at 35

EFL Heritage: Juninho Bacuna - The former Blue and Terrier arrives from Saudi Arabia to add thrust to a side that can be static at times. Should still have plenty to offer at this level

Star Signing: Enver Kulasin - This one is a bit of a wildcard as the young winger arrives from Borac Banja Luka after featuring heavily in last season’s Conference League run. His profile doesn’t look flashy but at just 21, I’m sure he’ll kick on with time

One to Watch: Kacper Kozlowski - Known to some I’m sure from his time at Brighton, he’s found a home in Turkiye and he’s a clever tactically aware player who receives the ball well in tight spaces and wins fouls effectively

Kasimpasa

Last Season: 10th

Star man: Haris Hajradinovic - The Bosnian international will have even more responsibility to burden this season after Nuno da Costa’s departure. Another creative hub in a team where the cohesion can ebb and flow

EFL Heritage: Cafu - Arrived in January after leaving Rotherham and solidified his place in the XI by season’s end, with a sharp range of passing and smart defensive positioning providing a base for the attackers to build on

Star Signing: Andri Fannar Baldursson - Szalai and Gueye will be interesting to keep an eye on but the ball winning, all action profile of the young Icelandic midfielder should add some good bite alongside Cafu

One to Watch: Yusuf Barasi - Another who’s left the mess in Adana, he’s a young winger who’s keen to beat his man on but is still raw and could benefit from less responsibility to make things happen

Kayserispor

Last Season: 14th

Star man: Gokhan Sazdagi - Club captain who sets the example from right back as one of the league’s best 1v1 defenders and makes up for a lack of pace with clever positioning and strength

EFL Heritage: Duckens Nazon - Cheating a little here as he is about to leave to Iran but that’s the closest we’ll get as Julian Jeanvier has also left. Former boss Jakirovic is of course now at Hull as well

Star Signing: N/A - they’ve also yet to make a first team signing so a word on new coach Markus Gisdol, who’s last job was at Samsunspor two seasons ago

One to Watch: Arif Kocaman - A young left footed CB who was given sporadic chances in the first XI but looks to be a more old school type who coped well in the air against some of the physical forwards in the league

Kocaelispor

Last Season: 1st (1. Lig)

Star man: Rigoberto Rivas - He only joined in January but did well in the 2nd half of the season and was good at Hatayspor prior to that. He’s a pacy winger who is happy to press and get involved in combinations in the final 3rd

EFL Heritage: Dan Agyei - Arriving alongside Anferneet Dijksteel, I’m not sure how League One form translates to the Super Lig but I’ve heard enough good things about Agyei to suggest he could be a real breakout player this season, and a big coup for a newly promoted side

Star Signing: Bruno Petkovic - Arguably one of the signings of the window, the pedigree and goal return that the 42 cap Croatian should bring to Kocaeli is going to be crucial if they’re to have any chance of staying up

One to Watch: Joseph Nonge - Arrives on loan from Juventus after spells in France and Switzerland. Seems to be in the deep lying playmaker role but also happy to screen the defence too

Konyaspor

Last Season: 11th

Star man: Guilherme - For my money, the best crosser in the whole league. A grizzly old veteran at left back who should still have enough to offer for a season or two

EFL Heritage: N/A - Nobody has played in our three favourite leagues to my knowledge, so I hope none of you are rooting for Konyaspor this season!

Star Signing: Enis Bardhi - Arriving from relegated Bodrum, where to me he was their brightest spark, the Macedonian attacker offers creativity, a long range goal threat and lots of progressive carrying

One to Watch: Jin-Jo Ho - A versatile Korean who comes in from the Serbian league, who can play midfield or at right back, and is a Fenerbahce academy graduate

Rizespor

Last Season: 9th

Star man: Casper Hojer - Another adventurous left back, but one who is most certainly better going forward. A wicked set piece taker and slide rule passer

EFL Heritage: Halil Dervisoglu - Arriving on loan from Galatasaray after spells at Brentford and Burnley, Dervisoglu is an enigmatic player, capable of sublime quality but also a tendency to drift through games without affecting them

Star Signing: Modibo Sagnan - Played over 2000 Ligue 1 minutes last term for relegated Montpellier, he’ll offer competition at centre back with his long passing and progression from deep

One to Watch: Muhamed Buljubasic - An energetic 8 who’s yet to start a game in the league, he’ll be looking to move up the midfield pecking order in what is a fairly young cohort

Samsunspor

Last Season: 3rd

Star man: Olivier Ntcham - Their standout player aside from the departed Marc Bola, Ntcham’s energy and technical prowess allowed him to impact games on both sides of the ball last campaign, and is a superb box crashing midfielder whether playing 8 or 10

EFL Heritage: Anthony Musaba - This feels like an astute pick up to add dynamism to the wings, which felt less attacking and more functional for parts of last season. Alongside Ntcham and Holse, he should give Mouandilmadji some excellent service

Star Signing: Logi Tomasson - Another important addition to replace Watford bound Bola, Tomasson seems like he’ll complement the consistently excellent Yavru on the other side with energy going forward and competency in duels both in the air and on the ground

One to Watch: Joe Mendes - A Swedish right back signed from Braga, he will likely start as back up but with European football this term, Reis will need to rotate the aging Yavru at times

Trabzonspor

Last Season: 7th

Star man: Ugurkan Cakir - The Turkish international shot stopper was probably my pick of the keepers last term behind Berke Ozer. He pulled off good saves behind an at times very high line and is one of the best distributors, though he’s lost his main target

EFL Heritage: Okay Yokuslu - Lundstram’s departure depletes the ex EFL midfield by a third, and I’ll shade the edge to the former Baggie over Ozan Tufan on account of his tempo setting, duel winning and positioning to cover for the enthusiastic Batista Mendy

Star Signing: Felipe Augusto - Simon Banza’s departure leaves a huge void in terms of goals and an outlet, and it’s down to Augusto, alongside ‘Tall Paul’ Onuachu to fill it. His profile in Belgium looks promising and I’m sure he’ll get a fair share of minutes

One to Watch: Cihan Canak - There could be chances on the wing for young Canak this season, whose cameos I generally liked in April and May. He seemed to be a ‘give and go’ type player, working the ball around rather than beating men himself.

My 25/26 1-18

1. Gala

2. Fenerbahce

3. Besiktas

4. Samsunspor

5. Goztepe

6. Basaksehir

7. Trabzonspor

8. Rizespor

9. Kasimpasa

10. Eyupspor

11. Alanyaspor

12. Konyaspor

13. Gaziantep

14. Genclerbirligi

15. Kayserispor

16. Kocaelispor

17. Antalyaspor

18. Karagumruk