Will Kökcü leave Rotterdam-Zuid? ‘If right club comes, I want to make step’

Orkun Kökcü is open to a departure at Feyenoord. “If the right club comes, I do want to make a move this summer,” the Rotterdam playmaker said after the defeat against Vitesse (0-1).

For Kökcü, it makes no difference that Arne Slot has extended his contract at Feyenoord until mid-2026. “I also don’t want to say that I’m gone anyway, because I can get questions about that afterwards. But also because I have now become champion, as captain…. I’ve experienced a lot at Feyenoord, it really feels like home. So if I make a move I do want to make a really good move.”

Slot announced last Friday that he will remain loyal to Feyenoord for the time being. The successful coach also said he will work to ensure a longer stay for his captain at Feyenoord, who is under contract until mid-2025.

“Orkun is a great player,” Slot said. “Qualitatively, he can handle a higher level. But we, as Feyenoord, are also going to be active at a higher level in Europe. That is also a wonderful opportunity for him. I will do everything I can to keep him here.”

Slot can start focusing on next season with Feyenoord. “I have indicated that they can enjoy the championship for a few more days. After that, the focus should be on next season.” Arne Slot and his players do not intend to rest on their laurels. “You sometimes see with champions laziness when they start a new season. We have to avoid that.”

“Every person feels like taking a vacation,” Slot told the press conference after the 1-0 defeat against Vitesse. “We are in a privileged position with brilliant work, but one of the disadvantages is that our vacations are fairly limited.”

Still, the coach does not call his vacation “complete vacation. Because an important pillar of success is the composition of the selection. So I will still have regular contact with my staff and Dennis te Kloese (the general manager, ed.). And there is also a fairly good chance that I will still be watching soccer.”

“The last few days we have already started to do that. I have already looked with Dennis and the staff at who is leaving and what options there are to replace them.”

“I have enough information to know that Kökcü is ready to make a move, but it will have to be good for all parties. Both for him and for the club. We are also saying goodbye to a number of mercenaries, but we don’t expect many mutations. And we have already committed Ramiz Zerrouki and Thomas van den Belt.”

“That gives us reason to look to next season with confidence,” Slot continued. However, he does not venture to set a target yet. “You can only determine that properly at the end of the preparation. Then you also need a few games to see what the proportions are.”

“You depend mainly on yourself, but also on what the clubs around you do in the summer.” So what Feyenoord has in its own hands is the composition of the selection, but also the fitness of the players. “Another important pillar of success.”

“I think it’s important that the boys have a clear understanding that the new season starts at zero,” Slot explained. “That’s why fitness is so important. We will start with a number of tests, including a test where they can show what they did during the vacations.”