Torgeir Borven signs for Ankaragucu!

 

Ankaragucu this afternoon announced the signing of Rosenborg striker Torgeir Borven on a 2+1 contract for 200,000 Euros. The Striker had an excellent spell at Odd where he was top scorer before moving to Rosenborg. Thins didnt quite work out for him there as he found himself more often than not being played out of position in a more wide area of the pitch.

The 28 year old joined his new team today for training and the club will be hoping they receive his license through from the TFF in time for Fridays match with Kayserispor. Borven played 30 games for Odd in 2019 campaign scoring 21 goals before his move to Rosenborg. If he can recapture his form and is half succesfull as the last Norwegian striker to play in Turkey (Sorloth) he will do just fine!

Ankaragucu vs Kayserispor match preview!

 

Even at this early stage of the season, Fridays match with Kayserispor is such an important match with Ankaragucu as they will be facing another team who will be fighting against relegation this season. The match will also see the return of prodigal son Ilhan Parlak who signed with his hometown team Kayserispor 2 weeks ago. Sadly for Ilhan it looks like the start of his Kayserispor career is much the same as his time at Ankaragucu, missing chances, overall poor play and coming in from criticism from the fans. 

Ankaragucu should have a new striker in time for the match with Norwegian Torgeir Borven set to sign for the club later today in a 200,000 Euros deal. Borven will sign a 2+1 contract and comes with an impressive CV from his time in Norway, particularly Odd Boldklub.

Jonathan Bolingi looks set to miss the next 5 weeks due to a dislocated elbow which is a big blow for the player and club. Bolingi put in a positive performance last week at Sivas with his physical play and work rate and we wish him well with his recovery.

Fuat Capa will be hoping the team can show more quality in attack and need to find a way of utilising Adzic and Paintsil more. Both players have the potential to cause problems for defences in the Super Lig but Adzic needs to be involved more and Paintsil must work on his end product and start passing the ball earlier. 

Defensively Ankaragucu looked solid and Erdi Dikmen slotted in nicely alongside Pazdan at centre back. Stelios Kitsiou put in his usual performance and has consistently been the teams start performer. Thiago Pinto was back to his best and even took the captains armband when Alper went off. Hopefully we see these performances more consistently. 

Assane and Alper will have benefited from their starts last week and will only get better as they gain more fitness. Alper in particular will be a key player as he is the one with the responsibility from midfield in creating chances and adding goals. 

Like Ankaragucu  and most other Turkish clubs, Kayserispor have had a high turnover of staff in the summer. The most notable departure is Bernard Mensah who has moved on loan to Besiktas. Incoming has saw former England International Aaron Lennon, Joseph Attamah from Basaksehir and French due Wilfried Kanka and Harrison Manzala from Angers. They are also trying to sign former Everton forward Oumar Niasse but looks like that one wont be in time for the weekend. 

Kayserispor have 1 won and lost 2 of their opening 3 games. An opening win against Kasimpasa was followed up with a defeat at Alanyaspor and then a 3-1 home defeat against Erzerumspor last week who also beat Ankaragucu. That match in particular would have been a real disappointment for Kayseri and they will be looking to bounce back on Friday. 

They will likely match up similar to Ankaragucu in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ilhan playing just off Kanga. They will also be hoping that their new players are close to match fitness and start seeing more from Aaron Lennon. 

Last seasons 2 matches between the clubs ended 1-1 and it will likely be a close event this time around. Lets hope Ankaragucu attack can improve on last week and give us all 3 points to kickstart our season!

Sivasspor 0-0 Ankaragücü match report!

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There wasn’t much to talk about in terms of match action today as both teams played out a scrappy dull match in Sivas. Ankaragücü will be happy with the clean sheet and taking a point back to Ankara from a notoriously difficult place to travel.

Team - Freidrich, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Erdi, Pinto, Lukasik, Assane, Potuk, Adzic, Paintsil, Bolingi

Subs - Korcan, Orkan, Gural, Cebrail, Kulusic, Voca, Turan, Saba, Sahverdi, Cankaya

Fuat Capa gave Starting debuts for Erdi, Assane and Potuk while Gural, Voca And Cankaya made there debut coming on as second half subs. Capa was particularly impressed with the debut of Erdi and stated he will look to develop the young centre back into a Turkish International.

Assane also made a good start to his Ankaragücü career before fading in the centre half as match fitness was lacking from the team which is to be expected. The first half Ankaragücü were the better side and had the only two real chances.

Adzic cut inside on the 9th minute before firing from a tight angle straight into the hands of Samassa. Two minutes later Pinto put in a brilliant cross for Bolingi who saw his save well saved by Samassa. 

The second half was much the same as the first half, only it was Sivasspor who had the two chances. Freidrich made a good save from Hakan, a minute before Kitsiou cleared the ball off the line to prevent Ankaragucu from going behind.

The positives Ankaragücü can take from the match is that they were solid defensively and limited Sivasspor to a couple of chances. Erdi had an excellent debut alongside Pazdan while Assane and Potuk showed what they can do and will need to focus on their match fitness. Bolingi also played well with his work rate and physical presence up front.

The negatives are the team were very poor in attack and had no final ball. Paintsil has talent but needs to pass the ball quicker and have an end product. Saba Lobjanidze should have played his last game for the club. His end product was horrendous, and ran the ball out of play twice when in good positions.

Fatih Mert said tonight that he is hoping to sign a striker before Fridays match with Kayserispor. Hopefully he manages to do so as Bolingi dislocated his arm and will be out of the match which is a big blow.

Overall a good point for Ankaragücü to build on. Next up is a must win match against Kayserispor!

Ankaragücü sign Emre Gural!

 

Ankaragücü yesterday completed the signing of former Eskişehirspor and Antalyaspor striker Emre Gural on a free transfer. The German born Turk has previously played under Fuat Capa and will provide competition in the forward positions.

Emre is a player i have always liked, but felt that he should have done a lot better in his career. An impressive first spell at Eskişehirspor is where he first caught the eye in the Super Lig. But then spells at Antalyaspor and Alanya he failed to deliver consistent performances.

The 31 year old will now join the rest of the squad and will have to prove his fitness and fight for a place in the team. Good luck to Emre and we wish him all the best in his Ankaragücü career.

Sivasspor vs Ankaragucu match preview!

 

After a weeks break Ankaragucu are back in action this Sunday as they travel to Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig. Both teams are in a period of transition as is so often the case in Turkish football with huge turnover in staff each season. The transition is more of a positive for Ankaragucu who avoided relegation last season only due to the no relegation decision by the Turkish FA. Sivas on the other hand finished 4th although were still disappointed as they were leading the table at one point before a poor second half of the season.

I read a statistic yesterday from Ahmet Sulak on twitter who said Ankaragucu have never beaten Sivasspor away from home in the Turkish Super Lig. Quite a statistic and hopefully one the team can put right on Sunday.

Ankaragucu started the campaign with a 2-1 defeat at home against newly promoted Erzerumspor. A result that disappointed the fans and management. Ilhan Parlak paid the price and his contract was terminated and he signed with Kayserispor a couple of days later. Fuat Capa also came in for some criticism for his tactical decisions and team selections. There will be no excuses on Sunday as the coach has a full team to chose from and a host of new signings who have all received their licence. 

Goalkeeper should see the return of Freidrich in goal. The Brazilian was missing for the last game and his place in the team taken by Korcan who had a very poor game and should have no place in the starting line up. 

In defence Kitsiou will take the right back position and again will be a key player for the club this season. He has constantly put in excellent performances and is also a leader on the park. Atilla Turan should play at left back. Thiago Pinto has been very disappointing of late and doesnt seem up to a physical battle. I would like to see Pazdan and Sarlija as the centre back pairing but have a feeling Fuat Capa will stick with Kulusic who has been very disappointing since January.

The team now has a lot of options in midfield with the signings of Assane, Potuk, Voca, Atakan and Sahverdi. I think we will see Lukasik start this weeks game and one of Assane or Voca joining him in the middle of the park until the new signings find match sharpness. Alper Potuk will likely take that 3rd spot in a more advanced attacking role. 

Jonathan Paintsil and Adzic will likely take the wide forward positions and Bolingi will play through the middle. 

The team is shaping up well with the new signings. Fatih Mert confirmed 2 more signings will join the club in the next week. One will be a striker, and the other an attacking midfielder. It will take a couple of weeks for the team to gel but im looking forward to seeing the new signings and what they can bring to the team.

Sivas have won 1 and lost 1 of their opening 2 games. A 2-0 defeat at home against Alanyaspor and a 2-1 win at Erzerumspor last weekend. Having lost key players such as Mert Hakan Yandas, Emre Kilinc and Fatih Aksoy who has returned to Besiktas after a loan spell, it will be difficult for Sivasspor to reach the heights of last season. Loosing Mert and Emre in particular on free transfers is part of the problem with Turkish football. So many clubs loosing key players for nothing. 

They have made some additions with Ola Kayode, Max Gradel and Faycel Fajr in particular good players who should do well in the Super Lig. Kayode had a loan spell at Gaziantep last season and had a mixed experience due to disciplinary problems, but scored 10 goals and will look to build on that this season.

Sunday will be a difficult match for Ankaragucu but they must take at least a point and hit the ground running. Lets hope we have a positive outcome for the match report on Sunday night!

Team I would Play - Freidrich, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Sarlija, Atilla, Lukasic, Assane, Potuk, Adzic, Paintsil, Bolingi

Ankaragucu complete Idriz Voca signing!

 

Ankaragucu have completed this signing of Idriz Voca on a 2 year contract with the option of another year at the end. The 23 year old Kosovan flew to Ankara on Monday night for talks and a medical which have turned out positive for both sides.

Voca is a physical defensive midfielder with an excellent range of passing and signs from Luzern in the Swiss Premier League. Ankaragucu see Voca as a major coup for the club as both Werder Bremen and Galatasaray were said to be interested in signing the player too. 

Voca said he was delighted to sign with Ankaragucu and is looking forward to giving his all for the Yellow and Blue jersey. President Fatih Mert will now push on with the signing of a Striker which should complete the clubs transfer business and should set the club up nicely for the season ahead. 

Alper Potuk signs 2 year deal with Ankaragücü!

 

Ankaragücü last night completed the signing of Alper Potuk on a free transfer from Fenerbahce. The 29 year old will be a key signing for the club who have lacked creativity in midfield and will be hoping Alper can fill that void.

Alper started his career with Eskisehirspor and had a successful 4 year period with them before signing with Fenerbahce. Having fallen out of favour of late it’s a chance for Alper to kick start his career and it could be the perfect opportunity for both sides.

In other transfer news Ankaragücü have signed Abdullah Celik who is a 23 year old centre back from partnership club FK Mamak. He will go straight back out on loan to his former club. Ilhan Parlak has also completed his free transfer to Kayserispor yesterday, while Fatih Tultak goes out on loan to Sakaryaspor.

GENCLERBIRLIGI V KONYASPOR .......YAWN YAWN !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Two new Coaches in the dug-outs today.    For Gencler, ex-Gencler striker Mert Nobre, and for Konya, Ismail Kartal, who’s a well known figure in Turkish footie over the past years.

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI          0             Konyaspor           0

 

Team – Nordfeldt, Matias, Toure, Diego, Ibrahim, Motta, Soner, Candeias, Sefa, Sio and Stancu

 

Substitutes – Murat Yildirim, Arda, Ayite and Ilker

 

It took about 30 minutes into the match for me to write anything worthwhile with Konya finding lots of space to sweep the ball around the midfield area, but no sparks in the final third.     Gencler was playing a holding game and hanging on, probably thankful for Konya’s dithering.

 

Sio was lucky not to get a yellow card for a dig into the ribs of a Konya player on the referee’s blind side, and Stancu on his own up front was anonymous.    I don’t understand why teams who play at home (or away) only have a lone striker !!!

 

Konya came close to making the break through before half time when a perfectly flighted free kick on the right to the back post was met with a bulleted header which hit the bar and went out of play.

 

So, at half time, not the type of match which will stick in the memory   !!     Would it be a game of two halves ?      Errrrrrrm ......... no !!!

Gencler started to come more into the match and had a few chances shortly after the re-start.   First, Candeias had a long run down the left, but his shot was past the post with only Stancu up in support but ignored by Candeias.   

 

Soon after, there was some nice inter-play by Gencler down the right and the cut-back was sent to Stancu who shot narrowly past the post.      Stancu had another chance moments later but when well placed in the box, blasted his shot against a defender.

 

Konya also had chances, but not for the first time their shooting was high and wide.

 

With 15 minutes to go, Konya began to run out of ideas allowing Gencler to take control of the match, but Konya seemed happy to soak up the pressure and hold out for one point as the clock ran the match down.

 

Motta did have a chance almost on the final whistle but the Konya goalkeeper stuck his right foot out to save his goal bound shot.

 

I hesitate to be overly critical of both teams so early in the season, and after all, it was Konya’s first match.    However, let’s hope things can only get better for both teams.    Most of the action was in midfield with very few genuine attempts at goal, and both goalkeepers were never really sorely tested.    In fact, both teams had only one shot each on target in the entire match  !!

 

Next weekend is Gencler’s turn to have a free week, so their next match is away to Beshiktrash on Sunday 4 October.    As I’ve said many times, it doesn’t get any easier in this league   !!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu complete loan move for Assane Diousse!

 

Ankaragucu unveiled their latest signing this afternoon as Assane Diousse signs on a 1 year loan from French Lig 1 side St Etienne. The 22 year old Senegalese midfielder started his career in Italy with Empoli before his move to the French side. 

Although highly rated, Assane has been unable to fine regular football with St Etienne and will be hoping his move to Turkey can kick start his career. Assane is said to be a strong physical midfielder who is tidy on the ball and covers a lot of distance across the park.  

The club are also said to have completed the signing of Mali U19 player Emmanuel Boko who has been training with the first team and is regarded as a prospect for the future. 

Ankaragucu youngsters go out on loan!

 Ankaragücü youngsters Mahmut Altinkaya, Yigit Kafkasyali, Burak Evren, Alperen Ozsahin and Nazmi Imdat all signed loan deals with Mamak FK in order to gain first team football. The 5 Youngsters have all been on the fringes of the first team and Nazmi Imdat came on as a sub in the last game of the season against Denizlispor.

This is an opportunity for the players to go out and impress at Mamak and catch the eye of Ankaragücü coaches who will be kept up to date with their progress. We wish them all good luck.

GENCLERBIRLIGI UPDATE

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Welcome back to the new season, and a special welcome for new readers of this Blog/Website.

 

For their benefit, a brief history.    This Blog’s ‘Founding Father’ is Oz Kanka Chris.     When the Blog started many moons ago he was the Genclerbirligi half and I was the Ankaragucu half.

 

Oz Kanka is Down Under at the moment, but he will return to Ankara in the future.    In the meantime, I will try to include Genclerbirligi news and reports on a regular basis in his absence.

 

Our excellent Webmaster, Bellshill Kanka Nadeem, and I will also keep the Ankaragucu news and reports going.

 

As you will see from the Genclerbirligi team line-up last night, there are few changes in the team from last season which does tend to suggest that they will struggle again this season.    As you may recall, they were hovering in the relegation zone for the most part of last season, but a recovery near the end moved them up to their normal mid-table position.   However, having said that, Genclerbirligi normally does well at home, and in Sio and Stancu, have two proven strikers who normally get on the scoresheet.

 

Unfortunately, that was not the case last on the Mediterranean Coast !

 

Antalyaspor          2                  GENCLERBIRLIGI       0

 

Team – Nordfeldt, Pehlivan, Diego, Toure, Johansen, Dikmen, Ozdemir, Candeias, Ayite, Sio and Stancu

 

Substitutes – Yilmaz, Yildirim and Karakas

 

I didn’t watch the match, but I hope to be able to watch some of their matches in the near future and give a more detailed analysis.

 

A surprising statistic from last night’s match was that Genclerbirligi enjoyed 62% of possession, but only managed ONE shot on target, whereas Antalya had 5 shots on target  !    Perhaps 2 up front instead of 1 in the future  ??!!

 

Balci opened the scoring just before half time and Ozmert put the match beyond Gencler 10 minutes before the end.

 

It was interesting to note that Ankaragucu ‘Olde Boy’, Orgill, came off the bench for Antalya after their 2^nd goal went in  !

 

Gencler will be at home next Saturday against Konya in what is sure to be a close encounter with both teams anxious to open their account with at least one point.    Also, the Konya players will no doubt be going all out to impress their new Coach, Ismail Kartal.

 

Watch this space for details of the match.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

PS - Quiz Question ............... Name the stadium in the photo   !!!

Ankaragücü 1-2 Erzerumspor match report!

 

Ankaragücü kicked off their League campaign with a defeat at home against newly promoted Erzerumspor and it was much of the same as last season with poor defending and wasteful in the final 3rd. Today’s result and performance however lies with Manager Fuad Capa who made a string of strange decisions that we will discuss in the match report.

Team - Korcan, Cebrail, Sarlija, Kulusic, Atilla, Pazdan, Lukasik, Kitsiou, Adzic, Ilhan, Bolingi 

Subs - Freidrich, Orkan, Murat, Berke, Paintsil, Pinto. Mucahit, Saba, Ender, Erdi

When the team was announced, there were a lot of anger and disappointment from the Ankaragücü fans. Nine new signings and Ilhan Parlak again found himself starting, while Korcan somehow started ahead of Friedrch in goals. Then you had Cebrail starting at right back, while Pazdan was in midfield which was the strangest decision of them all. So many players out of position, while a number of players who shouldn’t even be at the club found a place in the starting line up.

Ankaragücü had the first chance of the game after 10 minutes when Ilhan crossed for Sarlija who saw his shot cleared off the line for a corner.

Four minutes later Atilla saw his free kick from a tight angle saved by Farnolle who was making his debut after signing from Yani Malatyaspor.

A few minutes later and Farnolle was called into action again. A long ball from Kulusic was brought down by Bolingi who passed to Adzic. The Serbian then passed the ball inside for Lukasik who saw his shot deflected then brilliantly saved by Farnolle.

Erzerumspor had to wait until the 25th minute for their first chance as Rashad shot form a tight angle but Korcan easily saved.

Erzerumspor started to take control of the game and Arvidas headed just over after Rashad had dispossessed Kulusic. Just before half time Arvidas went close again, this time his shot hit the top of the bar and went over.

Half Time 0-0

A minute into the second half Korcan made a howler from a passback which almost led to a goal, but Rashad Muhammad saw his shot cleared off the line by Kulusic. 

The opening goal came on the 61st minute when Kitsiou played in an excellent cross for Bolingi at the back post who put the ball into the back of the net to score on his debut and give Ankaragücü the lead. Minutes later Fiat Capa made another ridiculous decision when he took Kitsiou off and Cebrail kept his place at Right Back.

Erzerumspor had the ball in the back of the net 5 minutes later but the goal was disallowed due to a foul on Ilhan.

Ankaragücü failed to learn their lesson though and Sissoko beat Pinto down the left hand side before finding a team mate whose cross into the box was headed into the net by substitute Oltan to make it 1-1. It was terrible defending from Kulusic and Cebrail who left Oltan unmarked, and Korcan should have saved as it was straight at him.

Only 4 minutes later Erzerumspor took the lead with an identical goal down the right hand side. Sissoko this time beat Cebrail and crossed for Oltan again who headed past Korcan while unmarked for a 2nd time.

Ankaragücü did have a couple of chances through Kulusic and Sarlija late on but neither could finish their chance. A defeat on opening day and a lot of angry Ankaragücü fans who are calling for the termination of Kulusic, Ilhan, Cebrail and Korcan contracts.

The team have 2 weeks to prepare for their next match with Sivasspor. Fatih Mert and the management team need to get quality reinforcements in before then. Let’s see what the next few weeks bring.

  

Ankaragucu vs Erzerumspor match preview!

 

The long awaited return of the Turkish Super Lig is here and kicks off tonight as Rizespor host Fenerbahce in the season opener. But the weekends big game (well for Ankaragucu fans anyway), is Ankaragucu vs Erzerumspor.

The club unveiled 8 of the new signings today with Assane Diouse expected to join tonight as he flys in to Ankara. Its difficult to tell at the moment the level of quality these new additions will bring to Ankaragucu. Joseph Paintsil and Assane Diouse in particular should be very good signings who go straight into the starting line up and instantly improve the team.

The team are still looking to add another 3 players, an attacking midfielder, a Number 10 and a striker. Hopefully these players will arrive sooner rather than later. At the moment Fuat Capa only has Ilhan Parlak and Mucahit to chose from up front. And of all the midfielders we have we dont have a playmaker or someone who can score goals. 

That said, the additions give Ankaragucu a much stronger chance of staying up this season than what we would have without them. It is going to take many years to rebuild Ankaragucu and fans need to look at the long term future instead of short term. No more transfer bans, no more paying stupid money for old players with injuries. Instead we need to sign young players with sell on value, and use our youth academy and give the players a path into the first team.

One of those Academy youngsters is Murat Sipahoglu who has signed his first professional contract today. The 18 year old has been training with the first team and impressed with his physical pressence and height. He will now provide competition for the other 4 centre backs we have and its encouraging to see the team looking at bringing more young players through. 

The defence and Goalkeeper should pick itself on Sunday with Freidrich playing in goals. Then a back 4 of Kitsiou, Pazdan, Kulusic and Pinto. Both Sarlija and Dikmen will be putting Kulusic under pressure for his place in the team after a poor 2nd half of last season. 

In midfield Lukasic will likely start in the more defensive position if Assane hasn't arrived in time and will likely partner Milos or Atakan. In the wide areas Paintsil will be a starter and the other place will be taken by either Saba or Adzic or Bolingi. I have a feeling Ilhan will start just behind Mucahit, not that i want to see this, but somehow Ilhan always finds a place in the team. 

When you look at the team its clear to see where the weakness lies and thankfully the Ankaragucu management team have today confirmed those areas are where they want to strengthen.

Newly promoted Erzerumspor are the opponents this weekend and will provide tough opposition. They have also been busy this summer with 10 new signings so far including former Ankaragucu duo Kaan Kanak and Muhammed Gonulacar who was always a player i really rated. They have also added experienced players such as Mitchell Donald, Arturo Mina, Armando Sadiku and Fabien Farnolle.

With both sides signing many new players, its a match that could go either way and its going to take a while for the players to settle in and get up to match sharpness. From what i read on twitter, Erzerumspor have been unable to play any friendly fixtures, so hopefully Ankaragucu can take advantage of that and give Fuat Capa a win on his debut. 

Ankaragucu remove transfer ban with 9 new signings!

 

The day when Ankaragucu removed the transfer ban finally arrived as Fatih Mert announced tonight on his twitter account and also on the clubs official website. Alessio Cerci and Thomas Heurtaux both received their salary and the paperwork came through from Fifa today confirming the club is now free to sign new players. 

Ankaragucu then announced at 19:10 the first new signing, followed by more new signings every 5 minutes much to the delight of the fans who had been waiting a long time for the good news to arrive. Before we look at the 9 new players in more detail, a big thank you and well done to Fatih Mert, Tamer Acar, Faruk Koca and the rest of the management team who have worked tirelessly to lift the ban which now allows Fuat Capa to prepare his team for the season ahead. 

Luka Adzic - Young Serbian winger signed on loan from Anderlecht. Started his career with a lot of promise at Red Star Belgrade before his move to the Belgian side. Had a loan spell at Emmen in Holland and hasnt quite reached the heights of his early career. Will be looking to kick start it in Turkey and will provide competition on the left wing.

Sahverdi Cetin - Signed on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt the 19 year old comes with a lot of promise and was also said to be attracting interest from Besiktas. Capped for the German National team at youth level, it looks like Ankaragucu could have unearthed a special talent. .

 Atakan Cankaya - Signed on a free transfer from Osmanlispor. Another young Turkish player at 22 who plays as a defensive midfielder and is big and physical. 

Mucahit Can Akcay - Hasnt lived up to his potential so far, but at 22 years old still has plenty of time to turn things around. Excellent technique and link up play, but needs to add more goals. Completes a free transfer move from Konyaspor.

Erdi Dikmen - One of the players of the season in Lig 1 last season with Keciorengucu. The big left footed centre back has a lot of potential and will be hoping he can develop and make the step up in the Super Lig. 

Zvonimir Sarlija - As we announced yesterday, signed from Slaven Belupo for 350K Euros. The 23 year old centre back played under Fuat Capa at Kasimpasa last season. 

Joseph Paintsil - The pick of the bunch on paper. Young winger from Ghana who had a successful spell in Hungary before moving to Genk in Belgium. Has struggled to get game time and another who Fuat Capa and Luc Nilis identified from the Belgian league. Has a lot of pace and skill which will cause a lot of problems for Super Lig defenders. 

Jonathan Bolingi  - Congolese forward who also played in Belgium with Antwerp and also joins on loan. Can play out wide and Fuat Capa is hoping to use him the same way he did with Koita at Kasimpasa. 

Assane Diousse El Hadji - Fatih Mert announced on TV tonight that Assane is coming to Ankara to sign with the club from St Etienne. The 22 year old defensive midfielder hasnt been able to hold down a regular place and spent some time in Italy with Empoli. An exciting player who will add that physical presence in midfield. 

So 9 new signings today with more still to come. A creative midfielder and a striker will be priority for Fuat Capa. But today's signings will give him confidence going into Sundays match with Erzerumspor. We will have the match preview tomorrow! 

Ankaragucu sign Zvonimir Sarlija!

 

Ankaragucu have completed their first signing of the Summer with Croatian centre back Zvonimir Sarlija signing for 350K from Slaven Belupo. Fuat Capa knows the defender well from his time at Kasimpasa having signed him last season. Sarlija only played 6 games scoring 1 goal due to injury, but that hasn't put off Capa who brings the 23 year old in to provide competition for Pazdan and Kulusic. 

The signing of Sarlija is set to be the first of many over the next couple of days for Ankaragucu after Fatih Mert announced on his twitter this morning that the transfer ban is almost over an the new players will be playing on Sunday.

We will have the match preview of the match with Erzerumspor here on Friday as we are trying to hold off until the new players have signed which will give us a clearer picture for the opener on Sunday. 

Ankaragucu win the Victory Shield!

 

Ankaragucu have a nice new trophy to brighten up the small trophy cabinet at Bestepe Training Facility after winning the Victory Shield last night.

A 0-0 draw with Altay was enough to see them top the group and awarded the trophy at the end of the match as pictured above. As with all the other matches, there was no coverage, information on line ups or match reports. 

Fatih Mert also announced today that he is meeting with the lawyers of Alessio Cerci and Thomas Heurtaux tomorrow hoping that they can come to an agreement that will allow the club to lift the transfer ban. He also claimed that at least 5 new players will come in. 

We are running out of time with the season just under 2 weeks away, lets hope we hear some good news soon.