Giovanni van Bronckhorst appointed as new manager of Besiktas, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s managerial future uncertain

Besiktas have appointed former Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhurst as their new manager amid reports that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was nearing an agreement to take over at the Turkish Super Lig side. 

Solskjaer hasn’t held a role in football since leaving Manchester United in 2021, having previously coach at the likes of Molde and Cardiff City.

He has been linked with a number of roles since, including being heavily touted to take over as Republic of Ireland boss earlier this year, but the former forward has been selective about his next move.

But the Norwegian manager’s return to the dugout was thwarted by the Dutchman on Wednesday afternoon, with the club announcing their new appointment with a stylish black-and-white video clip. 

The club have handed the former Scottish Premiership boss a two-year deal with an option to extend their agreement to June 2027. 

Had Solskjaer taken up the role in his place, however, the Norwegian could have become the second former Manchester United manager to turn to Turkey in a matter of days after Jose Mourinho was appointed Fenerbahce boss having left Roma earlier on in the season.

Solskjaer took over from Mourinho at United in 2018, leading the club to back-to-back top-four finishes before he, like the Portuguese, was relieved of his duties.

In the 2020-21 season, he led United to second in the league and the Europa League final, where they came up short to Villarreal on penalties.

In September, the six-time Premier League winner has since revealed that he has undertaken a new role as UEFA technical observer that will see him attending Champions League fixtures and providing reports throughout this season.

In March, meanwhile, he opened up on his issues with his squad at United, saying: ‘No one said “No” to being the club captain, it was just for certain games. It’s petty and shows a lack of ambition.

Speaking to Stick to Football, brought to you by SkyBet, on his time working with Cristiano Ronaldo, he added: ”It didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for Cristiano, but it was the right decision at the time.

‘With the ball, with him in the team, it was no problem. Without him [pressing], we had to change a little bit the different roles we’d gotten used to. We were one of the highest pressing teams before [Ronaldo joined].

‘We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players. It was the right decision to make for me – it didn’t turn out to be the right one.’

Van Bronckhorst will be taking over a side that finished sixth in the Turkish Super Lig last season.

Last winning the league title in 2021, they have slipped in recent years, finishing sixth in 2021-22, third in 2022-23 and sixth last season.

Fernando Santos was appointed as manager in January, but let go in April, having replaced Riza Calimbay, who was appointed in November.

The Dutch manager has been out of work after leaving Rangers in 2022, having previously coached at his former club Feyenoord, and Chinese side Guangzhou City FC.