Leao, Osimhen and…: what kind of team Galatasaray are and how far they can go in Turkey and the Champions League
Four Super Lig titles in a row and Rafa Leao driving them on, Galatasaray are not easing up. They're doubling down. After signing the Portuguese forward for a huge fee from AC Milan, the Istanbul side have once again underlined their status as favourites for the Turkish title and, as noted, they have won it for four straight seasons. They're also putting themselves forward as dark horses for next season’s Champions League.
Under Okan Buruk, the team look stronger on paper than the one that dominated the league and went out in the last 16 against Liverpool after knocking out Juventus in the post-League Phase play-offs of the Champions League. Friends off the pitch, Leao and Osimhen now reunite to lead the Istanbul side’s attack, with all the makings of a golden partnership in a league that has, in any case, seen plenty of champions arrive from Europe’s top clubs this summer.
Gala started the season with a slight stumble, drawing 2-2 with newly promoted Corum before hitting straight back with an emphatic 4-0 win away to Erzurumspor. The former Napoli man looks fired up and is already scoring regularly, and now he has a star of his level alongside him who can feed him and bring even more out of him. Leao’s decision to choose the Turks over Aston Villa and the glamour of the Premier League also makes sense in that context: a league to win, but one that does not demand 100% from you in every match, plus a European campaign that could spring major surprises. The draw in Nyon was not especially kind, pairing the Turkish champions with Barcelona, PSG, Aston Villa, Sporting, Feyenoord, Lille, Stuttgart and AEK Athens in a difficult route where Gala will need the best Leao.
Still, Galatasaray do not rely only on Osimhen and Leao. While Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor enjoyed transfer windows full of fireworks, Gala took a more careful and frugal approach. Yet the big splashes had already come in previous windows, more arrivals could still follow and the squad are hugely competitive.
As for Okan, he does not have many high-level back-ups, but among the first 15 players Gala are still superior to their rivals, even if the gap has narrowed. Goalkeeper Cakir forms the backbone of the side, while the defence is built around a revived Singo and Sanchez, both of whom produced two excellent World Cups with Ivory Coast and Colombia. In midfield, the Torreira situation still needs clarifying after he asked to leave, while players once seen as indispensable, such as Gundogan and Lemina, no longer are. The changing of the guard has already arrived, with profiles such as Sallai, Gabriel Sara, Akgun and Yilmaz now undisputed starters. This also has to be the season of Sané's revival after his decline at club level and, above all, with the national team. If the Bayern version returns, the front three with Leao and Osimhen could be explosive.
