Super Eagles star Wilfred Ndidi will kick off next season at Besiktas under new management. The Turkish club announced on Saturday that Vincenzo Italiano will be the new head coach. This announcement ends weeks of guessing about who would lead the team after a disappointing season.
Italiano, who is 48 years old, signed a contract that lasts until the end of the 2027-28 season. Besiktas confirmed this through a message to the Public Disclosure Platform.
He comes to Besiktas from Bologna, where he managed for two seasons in Serie A. Before that, he was the coach of Fiorentina and Spezia.
His hiring marks the end of Sergen Yalcin’s time at the club. Yalcin’s departure came after Besiktas had one of their worst seasons. The team finished fourth in the Süper Lig, 17 points behind champions Galatasaray. Many see this as a failure for a club like Besiktas.
For Ndidi, this change brings more uncertainty after a shaky first season in Turkey.
The 29-year-old midfielder from Lagos joined Besiktas from Leicester City in August 2025 for €8 million. He signed a three-year deal with an option for one more year. He became vice captain in October 2025 and played 25 matches during the season, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
Ndidi spent eight years at Leicester City from 2017 to 2025, where he was known as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
But Turkish sports commentator Mustafa Demirtas has raised concerns. He suggested that Ndidi might not fit into Italiano's style of play. Demirtas said publicly that Italiano’s approach does not suit a holding midfielder like Ndidi. He also mentioned that Besiktas may look to sign a different type of player for that position in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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