CanMNT LB Sam Adekugbe joins Galatasaray on loan with option to buy through rest of 22/23
Canadian international Sam Adekugbe officially joined Turkish giants Galatasaray on Thursday, as his loan with option to buy deal was completed from fellow Turkish side Hatayspor.
Following the end of Hatayspor's 22/23 Süper Lig season, which came in the wake of the tragic earthquake that struck Hatay and surrounding regions almost two weeks ago, Adekugbe and his fellow Hatayspor teammates were given the opportunity to sign with any club they wished in Turkey on loan through the rest of the season.
As a result, Adekugbe struck up a deal with Galatasaray, currently top of the table in the Süper Lig, who he'll look to help win the title when the Süper Lig elects to resume following its postponement, which was done by the league in response to the tragedy.
Sam Adekugbe: “Önemli olan yardım edip kenetlenmemiz çünkü biliyoruz ki biz beraberken daha güçlüyüz.”
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) February 16, 2023
Hayatını kaybeden vatandaşlarımızı saygıyla anıyoruz, kalbimizdesiniz! ∞
ℹ️ Nef Stadyumu’ndaki yardım merkezimizde, afet bölgesine yapacağınız yardımlarınızı bekliyoruz. ❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/ex2apxCfg9
At Galatasaray, he'll count as a domestic player for the rest of the season, one of the conditions of the agreement, allowing them to go over the limit of eight per team that is imposed in the Turkish league, making this signing possible. From there, Galatasaray has a purchase option in the summer, one reported to be around $1.5 million dollars, as per Turkish media.
Since the earthquake, Adekugbe had been staying with fellow Canadian international, Atiba Hutchinson, after having made it from Hatay to Istanbul. Last week, the pair made a call to action to those looking to help Turkey's efforts to rebuild from this disaster, as the nation continues to recover following this sudden tragedy.
"There are around 150,000 people under the rubble from what we last heard. People are in really bad conditions and its really cold here, so we’re doing whatever we can to get the message to Canadians to support in any way they can by donating to the Red Cross or the locally based Ahbap campaign," Hutchinson said.
“It’s a difficult time here in Turkey. I know these people so well and what they’ve done for me and my family, the hurt and tragedy that they’re going through right now is really hard to see."
