Göztepe President Rasmus Ankersen answered the questions posed by the fans after the bad progress in the Super League. In the video shared on the official social media accounts of the yellow-red club, Ankersen clarified the issues that the fans were curious about; He made evaluations about the transfer policy, financial structure and future goals of the club.
First making a statement about their vision, Ankersen said, "When we invested in the club a little over four years ago, we set out with the aim of building a different project. This meant, first of all, having a unique and different game approach that is unusual in Turkey. For us, this meant a high-tempo, physical power-based and direct game concept. Not a team that passes just to have the ball; a football concept that plays much more vertically and focuses on the transition game. This game concept will be effective in Turkey. Secondly, we wanted to create a team consisting of young, hungry players whose best days were still ahead of them, instead of a squad consisting of players who were in their 30s and were approaching the end of their careers. What we meant by sustainability was this: After the first period in which we invested a significant amount to bring the club back to the Super League, we wanted the club to have a self-financing structure, where it could cover its expenses with its own income. "I think we have come a long way. Of course, we still have a lot to improve on. However, I think we have re-established a club structure that Izmir can be truly proud of and that we have put forward an ambitious project that can compete strongly in Turkey. Sometimes it can be easy to focus only on the present moment. Of course, our start to the season in terms of the points we received was disappointing for all of us, but I think it is important to remind ourselves of how far we have come."
"GÖZTEPE INCREASES APPROXIMATELY 5-6 MILLION EUROS OPERATIONAL LOSS EVERY YEAR"
Stating that there are three main reasons why they sell players, Ankersen said, "There are three main reasons for this. The first of these is that we need to sell players from time to time in order to ensure financial sustainability. Göztepe loses approximately 5-6 million Euros operationally every year. This means that if we do not sell players, someone needs to provide 5-6 million Euros of resources every year in order to cover the club's expenses and make its payments. The second reason is that when our players receive offers from clubs competing in the Champions League or Premier League teams, they accept them." If we prevent our players from fulfilling their potential in these leagues and reaching much higher contracts than we can offer, we will end up with players who are seriously demotivated. The third reason is that this is exactly the story we tell to attract players to Göztepe. We tell them that if they come to Göztepe and develop well here, we will not stand in their way when the opportunity arises to move to a bigger league, even though Göztepe is the biggest club in the world. "In their eyes, it is not the last stop of their careers. They all want to test their skills at the highest level and prove themselves there. That's why selling players from time to time strengthens this story we tell. It also helps us attract new players to Göztepe because they see that there is a very good environment for development here and that they can take the next step in their careers after proving themselves."
"MY BIGGEST DREAM IS TO FIGHT IN EUROPE"
Emphasizing that their biggest dream is to compete in European cups, Ankersen said, "We work and fight every day for this. We came very close to Europe last season. If it were not for some quite controversial decisions made in the last match and the decrease in performance we experienced in some home matches in the second half of the season, we would be competing in Europe today. So, we are not actually far from our goal. However, I would also like to point out that going to Europe is not something that will happen automatically and it is not possible for me to guarantee it. The truth is that for the goal of going to Europe, we need all of our talents on a single player." We are competing with teams that spend more money than we spend on our squad. However, we are ready to face this challenge. In some seasons, we may have to rebuild the team, but we always try to improve the team step by step so that we can fight strongly for the goal of qualifying for the European Cup. It is important for us to understand that it is not right to give up financial sustainability for the sake of financial success. Not choosing one, but being able to achieve both at the same time. I can say this clearly: We definitely do not want to be like Adana Demirspor, which spends more than its budget for a few seasons and then gets relegated twice. We want to create a strong, solid and sustainable club structure that does not depend on the financial support of a single person who may lose interest after a few years. Otherwise, a structure in which the club suddenly disappears may emerge. We want a Göztepe that is not only successful for one or two seasons, but will continue to grow steadily for the next 5 to 10 years. "We believe that this will be possible when a financially sustainable model is created," he said.
"WE ESTABLISHED AN ALTERNATIVE SQUAD"
Stating that injuries negatively affect the team, Ankersen said, "Some of the injuries we are currently experiencing make these deficiencies in the squad seem bigger than they actually are. I think the depth of our squad is strong and we have more alternatives in many positions compared to last season. Unfortunately, we lost our goalkeeper, our centre-back and perhaps the most reliable midfielder of our team in the last few years. Therefore, we are trying to rebuild the backbone of the team and it will take some time for all the pieces to come together and adapt. As for the timing of transfers, unfortunately this process is playing Football Manager." It's not like you can just click a button and get everything resolved. Sometimes you have to sell one of your existing players before you can sign a new player. When you end up selling a player, you have to turn to your second or third alternative. This is a very complicated process. However, this year we are trying to complete as many transfers as possible before the start of pre-season training. "We signed it. I think this is a good result," he said.
"WE REJECTED THE OFFER FROM A TEAM FIGHTING IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE"
Stating that they are not a club that tries to sell a player every time an offer comes in, Ankersen said, "In January this year, we rejected a high offer from a club competing in the Champions League for one of our important players because we wanted to maintain the stability within the team in line with our European goal. This summer, we also rejected high offers for some of our important players. In the past, these were offers that were almost unthinkable for Göztepe to refuse. Therefore, we are extremely determined to create a competitive team and maintain the stability of the squad. However, at the same time, from time to time, we develop players and take them to the next level in their careers." "We also want to be a club that takes our team to the next level. It is not always easy to find the right balance between these two goals, but we are doing our best to achieve this in the best possible way."
"HE REJECTED THE OFFER FROM ONE OF Türkiye'S BIG CLUB"
Stating that they have great respect for Coach Stanimir Stoilov, Ankersen concluded his words as follows:
"He has been one of the most important driving forces in the successes we have achieved in the last two seasons. He played a very important role in the development of the players we transferred and took them to an extremely high level. This summer, he rejected an important offer from one of Turkey's big clubs due to his commitment to the Göztepe project. We owe him great respect. He has my full support and will continue to have this support. Finally, I would like to say this: We are going through a difficult period at the moment and criticism is always accepted."
