Influx underlines Galatasaray intent

Galatasaray SK unveiled five new signings today, with €5m FC Schalke 04 forward Lincoln set to follow tomorrow and the promise of more recruits to come as the Istanbul club look to build a squad capable of challenging Fenerbahçe SK after finishing 14 points adrift of the champions last season.

'Competition'
The 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Algeria defender Ismaël Bouzid, SC Rot-Weiss Essen duo Barış Özbek and Serkan Çalık, Kayseri Erciyesspor goalkeeper Orkun Usak and defender Servet Çetin from Sivasspor were the players to pen their contracts in front of the press this afternoon. Bouzid said: "Competition for places is not a bad thing in a squad. There are a lot of good defensive players here and this is something which can push the team towards success."

Servet hope
Turkish international Servet, a former Fenerbahçe player, added: "I came to Galatasaray to play. If I can play to my potential, I could be here for many years." Meanwhile, director of football Adnan Sezgin confirmed the club had agreed terms with striker Gökhan Ünal and are confident of pushing through the deal despite Kayserispor's unwillingness to sell. Antalyaspor left-back Volkan Yaman is a certain arrival, though. "We'll give them our third-choice goalkeeper Fevzi Elmas in exchange for his transfer which should be completed in the coming days," said Sezgin. Galatasaray, who have also signed Sweden captain Tobias Linderoth, will enter the UEFA Cup in the second qualifying round.

Gaziantepspor deals
Meanwhile, Gaziantepspor have also been busy in the transfer market today, signing Cameroon central defender Armand Deumi, 28, from Swiss side FC Thun and their 33-year-old former goalkeeper Ömer Çatkıç from Bursaspor. Veysel Cihan, Özgür Volkan Yıldırım and Engin Öztonga’s have also had their contracts extended.