Getty Images / Seskim Photo/MB Media / Pictured: Sebastian Szymanski
– There is a real “szymomania” in Istanbul, says Krzysztów Gerlak, who follows the Turkish league, especially Fenerbahce, on a daily basis. Sebastian Szymanski is everywhere in Istanbul today.
For a long time it was not known what fate awaits Sebastian Szymanski in the summer. The Pole, after a one-year loan to Feyenoord, still has a valid contract with Dynamo Moscow, but clearly has not thought about returning to Russia at all. At first, it looked like the Dutch would decide to play him.
But the club from Rotterdam continued negotiations and then the Turks got into the game. Fenerbahce did not hesitate to spend almost 10 million euros and today no one regrets this decision.
– Fenerbahce knew they needed a new manager after Arda Guler left. It was decided to be Szymański. The move also demonstrated a change in the club’s transfer policy. Two years ago, they would have preferred an older veteran with a faded name, but now they have chosen an ambitious young boy who has become the team’s captain from the first match – says Krzysztof Gerlak in an interview with WP SportoweFakty.
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Like a legend
Fenerbahce is one of the three biggest Turkish clubs (along with Besiktas and Galatasaray). But in recent years, the team’s fans have regularly had to watch their hated neighbors across the border win the championship. The last time the Yellow Canary won the league was 10 years ago.
But this season may finally end the long drought. Ismail Kartal’s side have had a great start to the season, winning all of their first ten league matches. Trabzonspor’s excellent streak came to an end in just the 11th round.
– This amazing series of victories is largely due to Szymański – Gerlak tells us. – Today no one cries for Arda anymore. Moreover, Szymański is compared to the local legend – Alex. Only the aforementioned Brazilian had such impressive statistics as Sebastian at the start – adds our interlocutor.
– Szymański’s role in the team today is number eight, as he is a box-to-box player. The Pole has his duties all over the field. He also sometimes returns to defense and does what is called the dirty receiving work, and after a while he suddenly finds himself in the opponent’s penalty area, participating in scoring a goal. He fits perfectly into the team, and his collaboration with Fred, Dzeko and Tadic looks great – says expert Szymanski.
But at this point, it must be admitted that the team has recently suffered a bit of a breather, losing not only to the aforementioned Trabzonspor, but also to Ludogorets in the Conference League.
– Against Trabzon, Sepa played poorly, as did the whole team, while in the conference league he appeared on the field in the second half, but he was colorless. However, in this case, it was also the coach’s fault, because he put the Pole in a very defensive position, in fact in position No. 6. This is a more difficult period for the team, but now leaders like Szymanski will have to prove themselves and prove that they deserve to wear this. The shirt – explains Gerlak.
“Pathological mania”
However, the team’s decline in form does not change the fact that Szymański instantly became the champion of the Istanbul team in yellow and navy blue. As our interlocutor asserts, Poles are jumping out of the proverbial refrigerator.
– There is a real “Szymomania” in Istanbul. Poles, at least in this yellow and dark blue part of town, even emerge from the refrigerator or hang out in cars like a fragrant tree. Today, he is the team’s mascot, but also the cure for all evil. His celebration is breaking records in popularity, and not just among Sari LaSivert’s youngest fans. When the team did not perform well in the conference league, when the first team was not playing, he came off the bench and did the job – says the expert.
However, the 24-year-old’s excellent performances have also made him a target for Europe’s stronger clubs. There was a lot of talk, including: about Napoli’s interest. However, as Krzysztof Gerlach emphasizes, no one in Istanbul today even wants to hear about the loss of the Pole.
– Szymański is still the apple of Fener fans’ eye and they will never forgive the management if they hand him over in the winter. On the other hand, it is not impossible, because more and more teams, led by Napoli, are knocking on the club’s door. On the other hand, president Ali Cook must do everything he can to ensure Szymanski stays with the team, says Gerlak.
– It seems that Szymański himself does not want to move at the moment, because he feels comfortable here and wants to achieve the title of his dreams – says our interlocutor, who reminds us that several players have recently shown that Fenerbahce is a great place to break into the league. Top match: – In the past, examples of players like Arda Güler, Kim Min Jae, Elif Elmas or the aforementioned Vedat Muriqi have shown that with Fenerbahce you can break into the leading European teams.
It is possible that Sebastian Szymański will join this group soon.
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