Besiktas appoint Van Bronckhorst as manager to replace Santos

Besiktas have named Giovanni van Bronckhorst as their manager to replace Fernando Santos who was sacked in April, the Turkish club said on Wednesday.

The Dutchman has signed a two-year contract, with the option of another year. The club parted ways with four managers last season, including Santos who was replaced by interim manager Serdar Topraktepe, and they went on to win the Turkish Cup.

Van Bronckhorst, a former Netherlands international, began his managerial career at Feyenoord in 2015, the club where he began and ended his playing career. He led them to the KNVB Cup in his first season and to the Eredivisie league title in his second.

After three seasons with the Dutch club, Van Bronckhorst spent one season with Chinese Super League side Guangzhou before replacing Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager in November 2021, having previously played for the Scottish club.

He took Rangers to the final of the Europa League and won the Scottish Cup, as well as guiding them to Champions League qualification for the first time in 12 years, but he was sacked a year after his arrival.