The Rizespor Sentinel
Market10 Aug 2026
Rizespor say no — this time
The offer from Heerenveen for Ali Sowe was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Door shut on Orkun Kökçü
Rizespor asked and Besiktas said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Qazim Laci signs a new deal
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Qazim Laci commits to Rizespor for another 4 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A move João Amaral would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. João Amaral is living that version at Rizespor, and it tends to show in the first month.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Rizespor
Qazim Laci and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Rizespor
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Valentin Mihăilă was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market10 Aug 2026
Selcuk Omur steps up from the Rizespor academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Selcuk Omur has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Ozan Ozil joins the Rizespor first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ozan Ozil is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Ahmet Yildiz joins the Rizespor first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ahmet Yildiz is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- The dugout Qazim Laci knocks on the manager's door
- The dugout Furkan Orak gets it from the manager
- Looking ahead A reunion for Samet Akaydin