Earlier this week, Ferdi Kadıoğlu left Fenerbahçe and completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion. The defender has signed a four-year deal at The Amex, with an option for another year.
José Mourinho, the Turkish club’s manager, has revealed that his side tried to stop the left-back’s sale to Brighton. The Yellow Canaries weren’t successful and the Portuguese tactician’s quotes are relayed by Ajansspor.
On Friday, Mourinho used Jayden Oosterwolde on the left side of the defence in his side’s 3-0 league win over Alanyaspor. After the tie, he was asked about his views on Kadıoğlu’s sale to Brighton.
Mourinho insists the fullback was determined to leave Fenerbahçe for the Premier League side.
The former Chelsea manager has revealed that the 24-year-old was offered an improved deal. Fenerbahçe eventually decided to cash in from the Turkey international’s sale to the Seagulls, after they failed to convince him to change his stance.
“The club didn’t want to sell Ferdi Kadıoğlu. In fact, they made a great offer. If Kadıoğlu had accepted, he would have been one of the highest paid left-backs in Europe,” he said.
“But he wanted to leave. You could already feel it in the matches. He couldn’t show his great performance. His body was here, but his soul was not here.”
“He’s a very good player. A wise and pragmatic decision was made. A great player from our team left, but he wasn’t here anyway. We have to move on.”
Fabian Hürzeler’s side will take on Arsenal in the league tie in a short while. The fullback would be in contention to make his Brighton debut at the Emirates.
