There has been a summer of austerity in Turkey with free-spending club presidents being held accountable for clubs’ debt and this has given young, homegrown players a chance

After the feast, the famine. This has been a summer of austerity in Turkey. A combination of the weakening Turkish Lira, Financial Fair Play regulations and new policies introduced by the Turkish Football Federation to hold free-spending club presidents accountable for the clubs’ debt has had a dramatic effect. Just £22.8m has been spent over the transfer window. In contrast, Galatasaray alone ran up a £38.5m bill last summer.

Free transfers and loan deals are on the menu. Clubs are being forced to make use of, or establish, scouting networks instead of relying on agents offering them players for inflated prices. And perhaps the most exciting side effect of this newfound frugality is a growing appetite for young, homegrown players.

Fenerbahce perhaps best represent the clubs heading into a new era. The longest serving president in the Yellow Canaries history, Aziz Yildirim, has been replaced by Ali Koc. The scion of the wealthiest family in Turkey has the backing of the Fortune 500 conglomerate, KocHolding, but this has not resulted in reckless spending. On the contrary, the new man in charge has made it his duty to sort out the spiralling debts, currently standing at a staggering €621m.

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Koc has introduced sweeping changes at a club who have failed to win a trophy for four years. The former PSV manager Phillip Cocu was appointed coach and Damien Comolli has been given the role of sporting director. There has been a clear shift in transfer policy towards signing younger players, investing in scouting and youth academies.

The club have acquired two rising stars from the poster boys of Turkish youth development, Altinordu: the 18-year-old goalkeeper Berke Ozer and the 21-year-old winger Baris Alici from the club that produced Cengiz Under and Caglar Soyuncu. They have also signed the NEC wonderkid Ferdi Kadioglu.

Fenerbahce have had a reputation for being a graveyard for young players and this is not the first time the club have signed exciting talents. The problem has always been that the talented players were never given a chance. Cocu, however, has shown signs that the shift in transfer policy is not merely cosmetic. The 18-year-old Elif Elmas has featured regularly in pre-season, as has Alici and Kadioglu.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yunus Akgun, Galatasaray’s big hope, celebrates after Eren Derdiyok’s goal in the Turkish Super Cup Final against Akhisar. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Fenerbahce have kept most of their squad intact, apart from up front. Vincent Janssen returned to Tottenham at the end of his loan stay and Fernandão was sold to Saudi Arabia. Roberto Soldado has stayed and is likely to feature if he stays injury free. André Ayew has been signed on loan but has not exactly been a prolific scorer over recent years.

So things are looking good for Fenerbahce but will they have the patience to persist with this new philosophy. They are still in a honeymoon period as there was a huge appetite for a change at the top from fans. The charismatic Koc has been a breath of fresh air. Not just for the club but for the league in general. Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have been getting on, even praising each other.

The Besiktas president, Fikret Orman, even said this summer: “There is such a positive vibe in Turkish football right now. I think we need to thank Ali Koc, he’s played a big part in this.” To put things in perspective Fenerbahce and Besiktas officials were at each others throats before the change of leadership at the Yellow Canaries. It has been a surreal couple of months – for the better.

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The big question is what happens if the Fenerbahce project does not go to plan? And there is the possibility it will not. After all, the club is in transition with a new manager, new leadership, new coaches and new staff.

Galatasaray, meanwhile, head into the new season as the obvious favourites. They have more or less the same squad that won the title last season and are still managed by the club legend Fatih Terim. Yuto Nagatomo has joined permanently from Inter while the 21-year-old Henry Onyekuru was signed on loan from Everton. In fairness, The Lions did not look at their best in losing the Super Cup Final against Akhisar on penalties but then Super Lig sides rarely head into the league well prepared.

The reigning league champions also have a young Turk who could make a name for himself this season in 18-year-old Yunus Akgun.

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The main question for Galatasaray is how Champions League football will affect them. It took a toll on Besiktas last season and the Lions squad may not have enough quality in depth to compete in both competitions.

Last year the message of the summer was “Come To Besiktas”. A year on, however, it feels as if “Leave Besiktas” is more appropriate. Orman has done a tremendous job turning around the fortunes of the club and has raised €84.75m from transfers since taking charge in 2012. A figure that could rise considerably should they sell Domagoj Vida and Álvaro Negredo. Fabri has already departed to Fulham, Anderson Talisca returned to Benfica before his move to China while Dusko Tosic left for the same country.

There are three positions the Black Eagles could really do with strengthening. A new keeper is a must. As is a No 10 and a striker. The Eagles must also find a way to replace the 45 goals Cenk Tosun and Talisca were directly involved in last season.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest André Ayew (left), the former West Ham and Swansea winger, in action for Fenerbahce against Luca Cigarini of Cagliari during a friendly in Istanbul. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Besiktas have concluded the three-year FFP agreement they had with Uefa, according to Orman, but that does not mean that he will spend heavily. Orman likes to drive a bargain but it would be very surprising if Besiktas did not pull off a few deals before the window closes at the end of the month.

Until then Besiktas will be hoping that the enigmatic head coach Senol Gunes pulls a rabbit out of the hat, something he is very capable of doing. It will be interesting to see what the 19-year-old Guven Yalcin, snapped up from Bayer Leverkusen, and 23-year-old Canada international Cyle Larin can achieve under Gunes.

The former Turkey national team manager has an incredible track record of developing attacking players. Burak Yilmaz, Cédric Bakambu, Cenk Tosun and Talisca are all players who have flourished under him.

Nobody, strangely, seems to be talking about Basaksehir. The once-upon-a-time Istanbul minnows continue to punch above their weight. They do not have many fans but that has not stopped them competing for the title for the past two seasons, with the same manager, the same team, the same leadership. Abdullah Avci’s side are more than likely to be involved in the title race yet again.

It would not be right to comment on teams giving young players a chance without mentioning Trabzonspor. Unal Karaman has been appointed manager and he is known for youth development. This could be the year 21-year-old Yusuf Yazici and 19-year-old Abdulkadir Omur really make their presence felt.

The 2018-19 Super Lig season has been named after Turkey national team and Fenerbahce legend Lefter Küçükandonyadis, but the Turkish top flight will not be looking to the past this season. There is a clear trend towards youth.