Icardi’s Galatasaray crisis laid bare: sidelined, deal up, future in doubt | OneFootball

Mauro Icardi is facing the deepest crisis of his time at Galatasaray. The 33-year-old Argentine striker, who played a key role in the club’s five titles since his arrival, has been relegated to the bench with increasingly subdued performances and a contract that expires in June, with no formal renewal offer having arrived. The Turkish outlet Fanatik revealed the details that triggered the rupture: coach Okan Buruk asked for his departure in the winter transfer window, and the Champions League match against Liverpool ended up breaking the relationship between the coach and the Rosario-born forward for good.

According to an investigation by the outlet Takvim cited by Fanatik, Buruk submitted a report to the board during the midseason break suggesting the signing of a young, athletic striker to replace Icardi as Víctor Osimhen’s backup. The board contacted the player’s agent to inform him of the situation. The representative began exploring options with two or three clubs, but the move collapsed when fans reacted strongly on social media to the transfer rumors.

The relationship between Buruk and Icardi had been damaged ever since, but the Champions League match away to Liverpool was the final blow. The coach only sent the Argentine onto the field when the score was already 0-4 and there were ten minutes left. “Sources close to the club suggest that decision was the last straw. It is claimed that the ‘Tango dancer’ has now emotionally closed the Galatasaray chapter forever,” Fanatik wrote.

The pattern of giving him minutes only in the closing stages of matches became a constant, and the numbers reflect it. In the 1-1 draw against Kocaelispor, Icardi came on in the 80th minute, touched the ball just three times, won one aerial ball, made one successful tackle, and his only shot went off target. Far from the player who dominated the opposing box in his best seasons.

The decline began after the serious ligament injury he suffered against Tottenham last season, which kept him out for ten months. By the time he returned, Osimhen had already claimed the starting spot and Icardi’s role kept shrinking. In the current season he has played 42 matches, scored 15 goals, and provided two assists, numbers far from his best version.

The striker turned to social media to take responsibility amid the storm of criticism: he posted an image accompanied by the message, “Criticize me, those behind me are safe. We will be champions.”

His future remains uncertain. Clubs such as Juventus, Milan, Napoli, Elche, Oviedo, and Club América of Mexico have shown interest, although for now Icardi remains in Istanbul. All this while Galatasaray lead the Turkish Super Lig with 68 points, just two ahead of Fenerbahçe in a title race that leaves no room for mistakes.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.