Berkan Kutlu on leaving Galatasaray, Selçuk İnan and Kocaelispor

Berkan Kutlu, who has made a strong start to the season with Kocaelispor, has made some notable remarks about his career and his ambitions. The 28-year-old midfielder looked back on the key turning points of his career, from the titles he won at Galatasaray and his departure from the club to the Espanyol move that never materialised and his spell at Genoa, and assessed his performances at Kocaelispor, his relationship with head coach Selçuk İnan and his goals.

Speaking about being reunited with Selçuk İnan, Kutlu said: "I first met coach Selçuk when I arrived at Galatasaray, when he was Fatih Terim's assistant. He was one of the players I looked up to as a kid; he had incredible passing quality, great vision and a wonderful technique. He also contributed a lot in terms of goals and assists. If we were to list the best number eights Turkey has ever produced, I would definitely put Selçuk İnan in the top five.

We also had a funny moment while working together at Galatasaray. Coach Selçuk and I were practising passes in behind the defence. He kept telling me, 'Strike the ball like this, do it like that.' I would try it and put the ball into the right area, but he would say the spin on it was wrong. Then he would take the ball himself and do it perfectly at the first attempt. 'Look, this is how you need to do it,' he would say. Seeing him get it right first time while I was trying five or six times made a huge impression on me. That was when you saw very clearly that such quality was no coincidence, but talent combined with hard work."

The experienced player also spoke about the Kocaelispor supporters and the atmosphere in the squad: "We have a very big, very beautiful and colourful fan base. Kocaelispor is a club with deep roots that fell as far as the amateur leagues, then climbed back up step by step to come close to Süper Lig level again, and has survived despite all the difficulties. We have staff who have been at the club since the lower-league days. They tell us that even back then the stadium was full and the support never stopped.

So I'm not surprised by this passion. They never leave us on our own, at home or away. I want to thank our fans, because coming to matches and giving up their time and effort is not easy. For our part, we try to do our very best on the pitch so that their trust and support are not in vain."