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Karacan's Galatasaray Move Confirmed

09 July 2015
By Hob Nob Anyone?

Jem Karacan has bid farewall to Reading FC as he completes his move to Turkish club Galatasaray. Karacan was offered a new contract by the club but turned it down in favour of a move to Turkey to further his career. Karacan has struggled with injury over the past two seasons but finally made his proper return in March, making eight appearances before the end of the season in what was to be his last spell at the Madejski as a Reading player.

Karacan had been a professional at Reading for eight years, working his way into the first team to eventually be named club captain. He had brief loan spells at Bournemouth and Millwall in the 2007/2008 season but spent the rest of his time at the club either as a regular in the starting line-up or battling against injury. Karacan's Reading record reads as 175 appearances and 12 goals. Reading were unable to match the contract offer made by Galatasaray, where Karacan could be earning up to one million Euros a season.

Karacan described his move to Galatasaray as a "dream move", and went on to talk fondly about his time at Reading in an official statement released by the club:

"I would like to thank everyone at Reading FC, especially the fans, for their support over the past eleven years. The last two seasons have been the most frustrating of my career and you have stuck by me and for that I will be forever grateful. I moved to Reading when I was 16 and it has been home ever since. I never thought that one day I would get to captain the club and to be given that honour at the start of last season by Nigel Adkins was a massive honour for me."

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