Trabzonspor announce squad for Austria training camp
Trabzonspor have confirmed the full roster for their second pre-season training camp, which will take place in Schladming, Austria, between 23 July and 2 August as part of preparations for the new Turkish Süper Lig season. The 11-day camp will serve as a key stage in shaping the team’s core ahead of competitive fixtures.
Notably, summer arrivals John Lundstram and Batista Mendy are not included in the travelling party, a decision that immediately stands out amid a largely complete and balanced squad list. The technical staff will focus on assessing form, fitness and tactical adaptability across all lines of the team during the intensive schedule in Austria.
Goalkeepers
The goalkeeping group for the Schladming camp consists of:
– Andre Onana
– Ahmet Doğan Yıldırım
– Onuralp Çevikkan
– Erol Can Çolak
With four keepers in the squad, the coaching staff clearly aim to create healthy competition. Onana is expected to start the season as first choice, while Yıldırım, Çevikkan and Çolak will use the camp to showcase their abilities and push for positions in the pecking order. The sessions in Austria will likely put strong emphasis on playing out from the back and communication with the new-look defensive line.
Defenders
The defensive unit travelling to Austria includes:
– Mustafa Eskihellaç
– Sidny Lopes Cabral
– Wagner Pina
– Mustafa Kuzey Akçay
– Samet Akaydin
– Ali Şahin Yılmaz
– Ahmet Berat Tekke
– Chibuike Nwaiwu
– Stefan Savic
– Cenk Özkacar
– Arseniy Batagov
This mix of experienced names and young prospects gives Trabzonspor significant flexibility. The presence of players such as Savic and Özkacar suggests that the team may look to build from a solid, physically strong back line, while full-backs like Eskihellaç and Cabral can offer width and attacking support. The camp will be an opportunity for the coaching staff to test different defensive pairings and back-four or back-three shapes against high-level opposition in friendly matches.
Midfielders
The midfield group is one of the most crowded and competitive areas of the squad:
– Salih Malkoçoğlu
– Ozan Tufan
– Okay Yokuşlu
– Benjamin Bouchouari
– Tim Jabol-Folcarelli
– Melih Kabasakal
– Ernest Muçi
– Ruslan Malinovskyi
– Oğuzhan Ertem
– Yiğithan Çubukçu
With ball-winning specialists, deep-lying playmakers and creative number 10 profiles all represented, the Austria camp will be crucial for defining the midfield hierarchy. Okay Yokuşlu and Ozan Tufan bring top-level experience and tactical intelligence, while Muçi and Malinovskyi provide attacking flair, long-range shooting and set-piece quality. Emerging names like Bouchouari, Jabol-Folcarelli and Ertem will try to impress with their energy and versatility, hoping to convince the staff they can contribute throughout the season.
The absence of Lundstram and Mendy is particularly striking given the depth in this area. Their exclusion could be linked to fitness levels, adaptation processes or technical preferences at this stage of pre-season. Regardless of the reason, the decision underlines how fierce midfield competition is within the current squad.
Forwards
The attacking line selected for the Schladming camp consists of:
– Thierry Karadeniz
– Metehan Mimaroğlu
– Noah Saviolo
– Doğuhan Aral Şimşir
– Umut Nayir
– Paul Onuachu
– Denis Draguş
This group blends different profiles: powerful target men, mobile support strikers and wide forwards capable of cutting inside. Onuachu and Nayir offer aerial presence and hold-up play, crucial for breaking down deep-lying defenses, while Draguş and Şimşir can provide pace, pressing intensity and movement in behind. For players like Karadeniz, Mimaroğlu and Saviolo, the camp represents a real chance to stake a claim to rotation roles once the season is underway.
The coaching staff are expected to use the friendly matches in Austria to test various attacking combinations – whether through a traditional 4-2-3-1 with a lone striker, or systems that allow two forwards to operate together.
Travel plan and schedule
Trabzonspor gathered in Trabzon on 6 July to open their pre-season programme and begin physical conditioning. The team will now move to the international phase of their preparation.
The squad is scheduled to fly by charter to Salzburg at 10:00 today. From there, the delegation will travel overland to Schladming, where the first training session of the camp is planned for this evening. The altitude and climate conditions in this part of Austria are often preferred by clubs seeking to combine high-intensity sessions with optimal recovery environments.
Friendly matches in Austria
During the 11 days in Schladming, Trabzonspor will play three high-profile friendly fixtures:
– 26 July: Eintracht Frankfurt
– 30 July: Al-Sadd
– 2 August: Udinese
These matches will offer the technical team an early benchmark against different playing styles: the intensity and tactical discipline of a Bundesliga side, the technical passing game typical of West Asian clubs, and the structured, defensively strong approach common in Italian football. The diversity of opponents should help Trabzonspor identify strengths and weaknesses before competitive games begin.
In addition to testing tactical ideas, these friendlies will be important to manage player minutes carefully: building rhythm for key starters, while also giving young and fringe players a platform to prove themselves.
Tactical focus of the camp
Beyond physical conditioning, the Austria camp will be heavily focused on tactical work. Given the variety of profiles in defence and midfield, the staff have the option to experiment with several systems – from a possession-oriented approach with a double pivot behind creative midfielders, to a more direct style using target men and quick transitions.
Set pieces are likely to be another major area of emphasis. With tall defenders like Savic and Özkacar and physically imposing forwards such as Onuachu and Nayir, Trabzonspor have the tools to be dangerous on corners and free-kicks. The controlled environment of the camp will allow repeated rehearsals of both attacking and defensive set-piece routines.
Opportunities for young and fringe players
Schladming also represents a pivotal chance for younger players and those on the fringes of the first team. Footballers like Mustafa Kuzey Akçay, Ali Şahin Yılmaz, Oğuzhan Ertem and Yiğithan Çubukçu will be under close observation. Their training intensity, tactical understanding and performances in friendly games can influence decisions about loans, squad roles or potential breakthroughs into the regular matchday squad.
Such camps are often where coaching staffs finalise their assessments on who is ready to contribute immediately and who may require more time and experience elsewhere. For ambitious youngsters, every training drill and internal scrimmage will carry extra weight.
Squad balance and internal competition
Looking at the list as a whole, Trabzonspor appear to have aimed for balance across all lines: four goalkeepers, a deep pool of central defenders, multiple full-back options, a stacked midfield and a diverse frontline. Internal competition is clearly part of the strategy, as almost every position features at least two players with legitimate claims to starting roles.
This competition can push standards higher in daily training, something especially important in pre-season when habits and rhythms for the entire year are being built. The technical team will need to manage this depth carefully, keeping players motivated even if they initially find themselves behind others in the rotation.
Significance of the Austria camp for the new season
For Trabzonspor, the Schladming camp is more than a routine stop on the pre-season calendar. It is the stage where the tactical identity for the coming campaign will be refined, where leaders in the dressing room naturally emerge and where coaches define the core group they will rely on once official matches begin.
Fitness metrics, injury prevention strategies and workload management will all be monitored closely. At the same time, the collective atmosphere – how quickly new signings integrate and how cohesive the squad feels on and off the pitch – could be just as decisive as tactical details.
By the time the team returns from Austria on 2 August, after facing Eintracht Frankfurt, Al-Sadd and Udinese, the picture of Trabzonspor’s starting XI and main alternatives should be much clearer. The performance of this group in Schladming will provide the first real clues about what supporters can expect from the team in the upcoming Süper Lig season.