ANKARA
Besiktas on Monday excluded five players including Cameroonian star Vincent Aboubakar from the squad following a derby loss against Fenerbahce at home.
In a statement, Besiktas said it axed Aboubakar, French right-back Valentin Rosier, Ivorian central defender Eric Bailly, Algerian winger Rachid Ghezzal and Cameroonian midfielder Jean Onana from the senior squad for their “poor performance and incompatibility within the team.”
The Istanbul club said they are carrying on their “work on the new staff structure.”
The move came after a 3-1 home defeat to archrivals Fenerbahce on Saturday.
Ghezzal, a former Olympique Lyon and Leicester City winger, and Aboubakar, Besiktas’ top scorer this season, and Rosier helped the team win the 2021 Turkish Super Lig title, which was the club’s last domestic league triumph.
While Bailly left Manchester United for Besiktas in September, Onana joined from France’s Lens in July.
Besiktas are in a disappointing season as the Black Eagles have 26 points to move to the fifth spot in the Turkish Super Lig.
Their archrivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are battling each other on top as the Lig’s best two clubs in standings have 40 points in 15 matches.
Besiktas have been already eliminated from the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League after getting a draw and four losses in the group stage.
