Sergen Yalçın's sensational derby commentary: First since leaving Beşiktaş

News summary

Commenting on the huge derby where Beşiktaş defeated Fenerbahçe 2-1 away at Kadıköy, Sergen Yalçın praised Junior Olaitan, who was signed during his tenure, as he evaluated the Black-and-Whites' victory. The experienced football figure also showered praise on Vincenzo Italiano, who succeeded him as head coach at Beşiktaş. He also emphasized that Galatasaray's squad is better than both Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe.

News details

Analyzing the Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş derby on the KAFA Sports YouTube channel, Sergen Yalçın emphasized that the Black-and-Whites fully deserved both the scoreline and the victory away at Kadıköy. Stating that Beşiktaş virtually crushed their opponents physically, Yalçın described Fenerbahçe's second-half performance as "a complete disaster," noting that the score could have ended 3-1 or 4-1.

Pointing to Beşiktaş's young midfielder Junior Olaitan—who was signed during his managerial tenure—as the best player of the derby, Sergen Yalçın stated that he was amazed by the Beninese footballer's performance.

"Unquestionably, Beşiktaş's most match-ready, best player right now is Junior Olaitan. He is incredibly strong physically, you can't knock him down in a duel. He plays as a holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder, and when needed, he gets into the penalty box like a striker. He goes forward on attack and tracks back on defense. A fantastic kid who loves to work hard.".

Highlighting the financial advantage Olaitan provides to the club and his future potential, Yalçın said, "Olaitan, whom we cannot praise enough, earns an annual salary of only 850,000 Euros. With this physical quality and work rate, I believe he will transfer to a giant European club at the Champions League level within 1-2 years."

Stating that head coach Vincenzo Italiano played a major role in the Black-and-Whites' comeback win away at Kadıköy, Sergen Yalçın praised the Italian manager's tactical approach reflected on the pitch.

Emphasizing that Beşiktaş dominated the game despite playing away from home, Yalçın added: "Italiano said before the match, 'We will play like a big team.' Indeed, Beşiktaş went to Kadıköy and played a brave, high-pressing, and combative style of football, just as if they were playing at home at the İnönü Stadium."

"Fenerbahçe cannot play with two static holding midfielders. A big team doesn't take the pitch like this. There's no player left to bridge the gap between attack and defense. Why did you let Talisca go while Asensio was injured?".

"Mason Greenwood can barely stay on his feet, it's unclear where he's playing on the pitch. Romelu Lukaku is severely overweight; there's a huge difference between this guy and the Lukaku we know. As for Kerem Aktürkoğlu, it seems like he's mentally done with football, constantly throwing himself to the ground.".

Key highlights

• Related clubs: Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş
• News type: Transfer
• Certainty: The source did not make a statement regarding the official status of the development.

Source

This news article was compiled from information obtained from Sözcü (published: September 6, 2026 at 15:30).

Original news article: Sözcü