Former Beşiktaş footballer Fatih Sonkaya talks about Orkun Kökçü: He will have a high impact

Fatih Sonkaya, who ended his football career after playing for teams such as A National Team, Beşiktaş, Porto, Roda, Kayseri Erciyesspor, continues his career as a coach. Fatih Sonkaya, who has been the technical director of the lower age groups in the Netherlands for 4 seasons, made special statements to AA reporter from Beşiktaş to Orkun Kökçü, from Fenerbahçe's Feyenoord match to the infrastructure work in Turkey and the Netherlands.

Stating that he entered his fifth year as a coach after football, Sonkaya said, "I worked in the under-16 team at Fortuna Sittard for 2 years. After that, I coached the under-17 team at Roda for 2 years. I even worked as an assistant coach for the A team at Roda last year. This year I returned to Fortuna Sittard again. I will be the coach of the under-17 and under-21 teams."

- "The coach is very important at the moment and Fenerbahçe has the advantage"

Speaking about the Feyenoord-Fenerbahçe match to be played in the UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round, Fatih Sonkaya underlined that they will watch a very nice match.

Emphasizing that two very high quality teams will face each other, Sonkaya said, "One of them is a big team in the Netherlands and the other is a big team in Turkey. If we make an evaluation as a coach, Robin van Persie cannot come close to Jose Mourinho's past. But Robin van Persie has an advantage in terms of his soccer career. Right now the coach is very important and Fenerbahçe has the advantage. As a team, I think Fenerbahçe has the advantage over Feyenoord. I have watched both teams' recent matches and I think Fenerbahçe is one step ahead in this match."

- "Orkun's impact on Beşiktaş will be positive"

Speaking about Orkun Kökçü, who grew up in the Netherlands and transferred to Beşiktaş at the beginning of the season, Sonkaya said:

"Orkun's impact on Beşiktaş will be positive. He performed well at Feyenoord and went to Benfica. He played well there and went to Beşiktaş. His impact will be high. He is a player who has seen and tasted Europe. He is a very talented footballer and he will contribute to Beşiktaş."

Sonkaya said that he sees Beşiktaş, whose jersey he has worn before, as good in general, "Beşiktaş was eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk, but the fans should not lower the morale of the team. I see Beşiktaş as good in general at the moment. The league has not started yet, there is a long way to go. This team will improve more. Reactions are normal in football but in Turkey these reactions are a bit too much. I think they need a little patience. I think Beşiktaş is a good team and I see its future bright."

- "I intend to work in Turkey"

Fatih Sonkaya, who will enter his fifth year as a youth coach in the Netherlands, compared the youth systems in Turkey and the Netherlands.

Emphasizing that in order to work as a youth coach in the Netherlands, you need to have UEFA B and UEFA A licenses according to age groups, Sonkaya said, "I have both certificates and I am working. If it is possible, I would like to coach a team in the future. I hope I will coach a team in Turkey. I wore the A National Team jersey in Turkey, I played for Beşiktaş for one year and then I also wore the Kayseri Erciyesspor jersey. I have the intention to work in Turkey. Why not?" he said.

Underlining that there are big differences between Turkey and the Netherlands in terms of infrastructure, Sonkaya said:

"The Netherlands, as a country, attaches importance to infrastructure. Turkey does not have such a football structure. In the Netherlands, this is a culture. They know that the most important issue is infrastructure. If quality players are trained, they are sent to other clubs. Last year Galatasaray played AZ Alkmaar. Almost 80 percent of AZ Alkmaar are youth players. Galatasaray, on the other hand, 80, 90 percent of them are players bought from outside. We saw the performance. They came and eliminated Galatasaray and sent them away. This is where the difference emerges. This issue is not given importance in Turkey. Technical directors are very important in infrastructure. You can't just call it infrastructure. When you put a coach with a past in front of the children, it is different. When there is a coach with a successful past, the child cannot say, 'Who are you, who are you, where did you play and why are you telling me to do this or do that? When you have a player with a background, the respect for the coach is also different."

Giving the example of Sergen Yalçın as a coach with a successful past, Sonkaya said, "If Sergen Yalçın were in charge of the club right now, the issue would be closed. He gets the respect he deserves because of his personality and because he is a footballer, and the footballer does what he wants. These are important things. Clubs should spend 20 percent of their income on infrastructure. This is the money you spend on your own players. When you sell a player, you get a lot of return."

- "I think the Eagle will fly away"

Sonkaya said that his career plan is taking shape but there may be different developments every day, "My career plan is unpredictable. You may see me in Turkey tomorrow, but according to my plan, I can coach the A team in two years. I have worked with all age groups, I just need a little more time."

Emphasizing that the most difficult age group is under 16 and the easiest group to learn is under 21, Sonkaya finally gave the following message to Beşiktaş fans:

"They should not be demoralized because they were eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk. I see a bright future for Beşiktaş. I also see the coach as good. He has a good career in football. He is at the beginning of his coaching career. They had a good series last year. They will continue this. The coach fits the team and the team is good. I think the Eagles will fly, they should be comfortable."