Arda Turan didn’t take long to find a new club after his contract with La Liga side Barcelona expired last month. Arda rejoined his boyhood club Galatasaray, who announced on social media on Wednesday that they have signed the 33-year-old player to a multi-year deal.
Turan was Barca’s player until recently but hasn’t played for the club since 2018. Instead, he spent two seasons on loan at Super-Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir, helping the club win their first domestic title in 2019/20.
Despite his success with Basaksehir, Turan opted to return to Galata where he played almost 200 games between 2004 and 2011.
“Emotions are very deep,” said Turan after inking the deal. “Now is not the time to comment and talk too much. It’s time for me to get on the field and fight. “
Arda Turan ended his first stint with Galatasaray by becoming the most expensive Turkish footballer of all-time and joining Atletico Madrid in 2011. With Atletico, Turan emerged as one of the better attacking midfielders in Europe which eventually brought him a $40 million transfer to Barcelona in 2015.
However, Turan never managed to settle in with Barca despite making 55 appearances across his first two seasons at Camp Nou. Eventually, he was labeled surplus upon Ernesto Valverde’s arrival and didn’t play a single game for the club since the end of 2016–17 season.
