By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
One of the most interesting summer transfers was Cedi Osman leaving EuroLeague contender Panathinaikos for the BKT EuroCup and PAOK.
While Osman signed a new three-year contract for a total of 9M euros net – the biggest ever contract in the EuroCup – and Panathinaikos received a 2M euros buyout, leaving for the second-tier competition was totally unexpected.
Speaking to the Turkish “Socrates” magazine on their YouTube channel, Osman explained the situation, clarifying why he didn’t sign with Turkish EuroLeague contenders Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe.
“Before PAOK, there were other clubs interested in me”, explained Osman, “As you know, I also spoke with Efes and Fenerbahçe. But those processes were taken in a slightly different direction. Things were said like I didn’t want to return to Turkey, or that I wasn’t going to one team so as not to upset the other… Interestingly, people believed this, which really surprises me”.
The real reason for the deal not happening was the buyout demands of Panathinaikos, according to Osman: “Now, look, I wasn’t a free agent. I still had a year left on my contract with Panathinaikos. Therefore, when these talks started, Panathinaikos demanded a significant buyout. Of course, for a transfer to happen, the clubs need to agree first. Then, if a transfer is going to happen, it can. Ultimately, I can’t go to the president and say, ‘President, ask for less of a buyout to make things easier for me; I’m going to play for another EuroLeague team.’ That’s not possible. If you really want me, you need to go and reach an agreement with my club. That’s not something I can do. If I were a free agent, it would be different; then I would have a choice. But since a buyout was demanded… it’s a big deal. It’s possible that the Turkish clubs didn’t want to get involved in this transfer because a high buyout was demanded.”
On the contrary, PAOK, owned by Swiss-based Greek billionaire Telis Mistakidis, was ready to pay the price and the premium for having a top-level player in the EuroCup: “I’m very excited to play for PAOK. When we first spoke, they explained to me their projects, goals, and plans. This excited me a lot. Yes, it’s a EuroCup team. But our goal is to be in the EuroLeague, and we have a very good squad for that. We have a coach like Andrea Trinchieri. So, the club’s enthusiasm and plans excited me a lot. It wasn’t an easy decision for me. I had one more year left on my contract with Panathinaikos, and the conversations we had were mostly in favor of me staying. I spoke with both coach Obradovic and our president. Sometimes a player senses whether they are wanted there or not… You understand the relationship there. I felt that a little bit, and then things developed, and this is what happened.”
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