SKRTEL: FENERBAHCE CAREER EXAMINED

Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel spent almost a decade as a Liverpool player before signing for Turkish Super League giants Fenerbahce on July 14, 2016. Skrtel spent eight-and-a-half years at Liverpool before joining Fenerbahce. Skrtel signed for Fenerbahce from the Reds in a £5m deal.

Martin Skrtel found the back of the net twice in 31 games in the league and he was seriously linked with a return to the Premier League. The Slovak was touted as a possible addition for clubs such as Swansea City and Stoke City. Newcastle United were newly promoted in the Premier League at the time under manager Rafael Benitez and they were linked with a move for Skrtel. Skrtel played under Spanish tactician Benitez at Liverpool. Benitez was the mastermind behind his transfer from Russia Premier League side Zenit St. Petersburg in January 2008.

Amidst the transfer rumours involving Martin Skrtel and a return to the Premier League, his manager Karol Csonto said his client won't be returning to the English top flight as he shut down the rumours. Csonto revealed that Skrtel was happy to stay in Turkey with Fenerbahce. He was also linked with Chelsea during this period.

At the start of 2019, Skrtel was said to have turned down a move to Barcelona due to doubts over his position in the team. He was not sure of a regular playing time at the Nou Camp. The Slovakian international also rejected a lucrative move to Al Ahli Jeddah. Martin Skrtel was linked with a move to Parma. His Slovakian national team colleague, Juraj Kucka was on the payroll at Parma as at then. The Parma transfer links came shortly before he announced his retirement from international football in February 2019.

Martin Skrtel initially joined Atalanta in the Italian Serie A in the summer of 2019 before his contract was terminated after three weeks due to his inability to adapt to his new surroundings. He signed for Turkish team Istanbul Basaksehir in the same summer.