Julius Okorie
Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has returned to management after sealing a deal as coach of Turkish side Besiktas.
Solskjaer, who has not held a coaching role since leaving Old Trafford in 2021, takes over at the Super Lig side, who have been without a head coach since letting Giovanni van Bronckhorst go last month.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Norwegian, who arrived in Istanbul on Friday, has agreed to a deal until the end of the 2025-2026 season, with a one-year extension option.
A statement on the Besiktas website read: “A contract has been signed with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the position of technical director of our professional football team until the end of the 2025-2026 season with a 1-year option for the 2026-2027 season.
“We welcome Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who we believe will provide important services to our club, to the Besiktas family and wish him outstanding success.”
Assistant coach, Erling Moe and goalkeeper coach, Richard John Hartis, will also join Solskjaer at the Istanbul club.
Solskjaer has managed Molde in his home country on two separate occasions and also led Cardiff for a brief spell in 2014.
Besiktas, the 21-time league champions are currently struggling in sixth place.
In the Super Lig, Solskjaer will come up against his predecessor as Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, currently in charge of Fenerbahce, who sit second in the table behind leaders Galatasaray.
The 51-year-old Norwegian who played as a striker during his playing is likelu to take charge of next week’s Europa League tie against Athletic Bilbao.
READ ALSO: Solskjaer Sacked By Man United After Humiliating Watford Defeat
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have completed the signing of teenager Romain Esse from Championship club Millwall for fee estimated to be about £12m, with th possibility of rising to £14.5m, which represents a “club-record sale” for the Lions.
The 19-year-old has become the Eagles’ first signing of the January transfer window after putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract, keeping him at Selhurst Park until 2030.
Esse makes the moves up to the Premier League after two years starring in the senior team for Millwall, where he began his career at the age of nine and progressed his way through the club’s youth ranks before making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old on Boxing Day in 2022.
The versatile winger, widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the Championship, leaves The Den having made a total of 66 senior appearances for the Lions in all competitions, chipping in with seven goals, including five this season.
Millwall have confirmed that Esse was due to see his contract at the club expire this summer before signing an extension in August 2024, but they were ultimately powerless to keep the youngster at The Den as Crystal Palace have activated his release clause.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
