
Courtesy: Google
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rejoined the football management as Besiktas' new head coach. The former Manchester United manager has signed an 18-month contract with the Turkish Super Lig club, with the option to extend for the 2026-27 season. This is Solskjaer's first managerial position since leaving Old Trafford in November 2021, replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Tupras Stadyumu. Moreover, this is his first management role after being fired by Manchester United over three years ago.
Besiktas are presently sixth in the Turkish Super Lig, trailing leaders Galatasaray by 21 points. Solskjaer will lead the team in their forthcoming match against Samsunspor this Saturday. The Istanbul club, in its press release stated, "We believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make significant contributions to our club, and we warmly welcome him to the Beşiktaş family, wishing him great success."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's brief stint with various clubs
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was successful in heading Molde, winning two titles in two stints. He also worked briefly at Cardiff City before heading to Manchester United as interim manager in December 2018. From 1996 to 2007, he won six Premier League titles and one Champions League with United as a player. After holding the interim manager role for three months, Solskjaer was named permanent manager of Manchester United. During his tenure, he managed 168 matches in all competitions, earning a 54.17%-win record with 91 triumphs. In the Premier League, his team scored 1.81 points per game.
Under Solskjaer's coaching, Manchester United finished second in the Premier League, and advanced to the Europa League final in 2020-21. However, a deterioration in performance caused him to leave the club a few months later. Besides holding managerial roles, Solskjaer was successful on football ground, scoring 26 goals for United over 11 seasons from 1996 to 2007, including the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.
Moreover, Besiktas are currently 28th in the Europa League table, one point behind the play-off spots with two league stage games remaining in the competition.