When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer accepted Besiktas, as the first coaching job after the Manchester United exit in 2021, many people were stunned. This was a club that had sacked six managers since 2023, but Solskjaer rose to the challenge. We loved having the United legend back on the sidelines. Although the stay was short, there were plenty of ups. For Besiktas, Solskjaer’s exit has not surprisingly given little boost.
At the time of their appointment in January 2025, the Besiktas supporters were in disarray. The club was in 6th place in the Süper Lig, Solskjaer was brought to Besiktas to get the most out of a squad the big club had somewhat randomly built up in recent years. A squad that consisted of some overpaid former stars, a squad that did not keep up with Galatasaray’s giant investments. Solskjaer has shown he is the coach to give young players the opportunity and coach them to performance. In Solskjaer’s first transfer window, some talents were also signed, investments that Besiktas’ budget could cover. Solskjaer didn’t have many months to build up the Besiktas squad.
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The “Eagle of the North” was singled out as a scapegoat, as Besiktas got off to a slow start to the 2025/26 season. In was Sergen Yalçın, this time Besiktas were not going to have a foreigner as head coach, no. After 27 games in the season, the situation is no different than it was when Solskjaer started. A good combination of a little too few wins, a little too many draws and the same with losses, Besiktas are still in 4th place in the Süper Lig, now eight points behind third place.
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Yes, there was first an exit from qualification for the Europa League, then the Conference League, but Solskjaer showed he could build success in the Süper Lig. We are convinced Besiktas could fight for the Süper Lig title, maybe not this one, but next season with Solskjaer in place in a long-term project. The United legend showed that by leading Besiktas to victory against Galatasaray last season (the only loss for the league winner), where super striker Victor Osimhen walked off the pitch grumpily without scoring. Against Fenerbahce and Jose Mourinho, it was also a resounding victory for Solskjaer’s Besiktas.
