Turkish league to begin with new stars on board

The Turkish Super League begins on Aug. 11, when last season's dark horse Medipol Başakşehir hosts Bursaspor at home, as fans of all sides feel excited to see world stars who made their way to Turkey on millions of euros of contracts.

Başakşehir, which ended last season in second place behind champion Beşiktaş, signed a whopping 10 players and parted ways with nine.

The team under Coach Abdullah Avcı usually prefers to stay away from expensive signings but surprisingly added Togolese star Emmanuel Adebayor on board last season. During the summer window, it turned to players from its rivals, including Aurelien Chedjou from Galatasaray, Gökhan İnler and Kerim Frei from Beşiktaş, Tunay Torun from Kasımpaşaspor, and Mert Günok from Bursaspor. 

After sending its wonder kid Cengiz Ünder to Roma on a more than 13 million euro contract, the team made room for newcomers: Gael Clichy from Manchester City, Eljero Elia from Feyenoord, Mevlüt Erdinç from Hannover 96, and Manuel da Costa from Olympiacos. 

Five days after the league opening, the Istanbul team will host Spain's Sevilla in a Champions League playoff in the group stage, as it already passed Belgium's Club Brugge. 

Disappointing fans for the past three seasons, Fenerbahçe seeks a fresh beginning under Aykut Kocaman, one of its former coaches and milestone players, and a 20th title. 

On Aug. 12, the Istanbul team will travel to İzmir to challenge Göztepe, the newcomer from İzmir, with its new players, including French attacker from Olympique Lyon, Mathieu Valbuena and Spanish striker from Villareal, Roberto Soldado, on board. 

Fenerbahçe also signed contracts with Chilean Mauricio Isla from Cagliari Calcio, Morrocan Nabil Dirar from Monaco, Cameroonean...