Former Fulham manager Jean Tigana has taken charge of Turkish giants Besiktas and will try to reverse the Istanbul club’s disappointing start to the season.
Besiktas, one of Turkey’s big three clubs, are fifth in the first division after 11 games but they sit eleven points behind leaders Fenerbahce.
Chairman Yildirim Demiroren told a ceremony in Turkey’s largest city that the Frenchman had signed a a one and a half year deal. The rest of the financial details of the contract were not disclosed.
Tigana became Besiktas’s third coach this year on Monday following the resignation of Riza Calimbay, a former Besiktas captain revered by the club’s supporters. Calimbay quit after a disappointing home draw with lowly Kayserispor. Former Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque had been sacked in January after less than eight months in the job.
“We will launch our work tomorrow with our first training session. Our first job will be to get our injured players back. We have a tough Sevilla match ahead of us,” Tigana said. The legendary French midfielder led Fulham to the Premier League in his first season at Craven Cottage before being sacked in 2003 with the Whites barely above the top flight relegation zone.
