Erkan Sözeri

Erkan Sözeri — Biography

Erkan Sözeri is a former footballer remembered for his long years at Gençlerbirliği and today a coach working in the lower leagues who has managed many clubs. After playing 251 Süper Lig matches and scoring 21 goals, he has moved from club to club for roughly two decades since retiring; in June 2026 he took charge of Kütahyaspor.

He began his professional career with Gaziantepspor in 1990 and helped the team reach the Süper Lig. At Trabzonspor he won the 1991-92 Turkish Cup, and from 1992 he played for Gençlerbirliği. In 1996 he transferred to Fenerbahçe, was loaned to Çaykur Rizespor when he found little playing time, and ended his career at Göztepe in 2002.

He started coaching in 2003 as Durmuş Çolak's assistant at Kırıkkalespor and took over the same team a year later. In later years he worked at Muğlaspor, Uşakspor, Şanlıurfaspor, Türk Telekom, İskenderun Demir Çelikspor, Fethiyespor, Tokatspor, Alanyaspor, Orduspor, Giresunspor, Balıkesirspor, Adana Demirspor, Ümraniyespor, Kardemir Karabükspor and BB Erzurumspor. He took Orduspor to the 1. Lig play-offs in 2013-14, and at Fethiyespor he kept a struggling side in the league. With Iğdır FK he won the third-tier title in 2022-23 and managed Karşıyaka in 2023-24. In April 2025 he returned to Şanlıurfaspor. He took over Elazığspor in February 2026, led the team into the play-off race and left in May 2026.