After leaving Borussia Dortmund, Salih Özcan has found a new club: The Turkish national team player is heading to Beşiktaş Istanbul—his parents’ homeland—for the first time.
It had been clear since March that Salih Özcan would leave Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer this summer. After a long wait, the Turkish national team player’s new destination is now set: As had been reported in recent days, the 28-year-old is heading to Besiktas Istanbul. On the Bosphorus, he has signed a contract through 2029 with an option for an additional year, as the Süper Lig club announced on Thursday.
Most Recently Just a Substitute at BVB
At BVB, Özcan had not progressed beyond the role of substitute last season. In the Bundesliga, he came off the bench just 11 times, not once before the 74th minute. He was also substituted into the game once in the DFB Cup. For the Champions League, however, the 32-time national team player was not even initially registered and was only added to the roster before the knockout stage. Coach Niko Kovac subsequently promised Özcan more playing time, but he only partially followed through on that plan.
In the summer of 2022, Borussia had brought Özcan to Dortmund from his home club, 1. FC Köln. During the first half of the 2024–25 season, the German-Turkish player was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg. However, following a disappointing half-year in Lower Saxony and the dismissal of then-BVB coach Nuri Sahin, Özcan was recalled early in response to an injury to Felix Nmecha.
First move to Turkey
The Cologne native never really made a significant impact after that. After a total of 96 competitive matches, the defensive midfielder is now leaving the Black and Yellows for good. His move to Besiktas—where he will be reunited with two other former Wolfsburg players, Vaclav Cerny and Felix Uduokhai—marks his first stint in his parents’ homeland.
Özcan had arguably his strongest professional season in 2021–22 in Cologne under Steffen Baumgart. At the time, the 2021 German U-21 European champion—who had played for every DFB youth national team—also caught the eye of then-national team coach Hansi Flick, but ultimately decided to play for the Turkish national team under then-head coach Stefan Kuntz. He played twice for Turkey at this year’s World Cup, but he and his team were eliminated after the group stage.
