Ferdi Kadıoğlu, who transferred from Fenerbahçe to Brighton, made striking statements. Kadıoğlu spoke about what he learned from José Mourinho in an interview with The Athletic. The player, who transferred to Brighton for €30 million plus €5 million in bonuses, was described as a “warrior” by Brighton’s head coach, Fabian Hürzeler. Ferdi made his debut for his new team in a match against Ipswich Town.
First, Kadıoğlu reflected on his time at NEC Nijmegen, recalling that in August 2016, at the age of 16 years and 326 days, he became the youngest player to represent the club in the Eredivisie. However, that same season, they were relegated. He said, “It was sad that we were relegated, but as a young player, it was important to get playing time for my career. It wasn’t all bad because that season earned me a transfer.”
Regarding José Mourinho, Kadıoğlu said, “He truly loves to win everything. He just wants to win the game. That’s the most important thing, and he has some tricks to achieve that.” Ferdi continued, “The biggest lesson I learned from José Mourinho was game management. Fabian (Hürzeler) also talked to us about this. If you’re leading 1-0 or it’s a tight match, sometimes you need to be smart.”
He emphasized that joining Brighton was the right decision for him, saying, “I was at Fenerbahçe for six years. It was a tough situation. The fans love me, and I love the club. It was especially amazing to play in front of the fans during big matches. It was so loud at times; when the whistle blew, you couldn’t hear anything. It was even hard to understand what your teammates were saying during the game. The fans live and breathe football, but after the European Championship, I felt it was time to take a step into a bigger league and improve myself. Brighton’s plan was really interesting. They’ve shown that players can develop here and then move on to bigger clubs. The plan was great, and the coach was very clear in his explanation. I’m very happy to be here.”
Comparing the Süper Lig to the English Premier League, Kadıoğlu stated, “There are great players on both sides of the pitch. I need to prove myself to the coach. It will take some time to adapt to the team and the league. I was used to playing every three days in Turkey because we were also competing in Europe, but here the intensity during matches is much higher. So, the biggest difference will be that.”
The Athletic also quoted Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler’s comments about Kadıoğlu: “He gives us flexibility. He can play as a right-back or left-back. He has also played as a number 6 and a number 8. So, he fits perfectly into our profile. He’s a great character, open-minded, and always looking to improve. He came here with a very positive attitude, which is really important. He’s fitting into the Brighton family both on and off the pitch.”
