Kemal Özdeş

Kemal Özdeş — Biography

Kemal Özdeş is a Turkish coach who rose from assistant to head coach and has managed a long list of clubs. His playing days were confined to amateur sides in Manisa and the Aegean region, and he made his name from the touchline. His latest post was at Ankaragücü, where he signed an 18-month deal in December 2024 and parted by mutual agreement on 11 February 2025.

He began in 1995 as an assistant at Bergamaspor, worked alongside figures such as Tevfik Lav and Ersun Yanal, and took charge of Konyaspor for the last six weeks of the 2004 season. When Yanal moved into the national-team set-up, Özdeş became Turkey under-19 coach in 2010 and also assisted Raşit Çetiner with the under-21s; at the 2011 European Under-19 Championship in Romania his side went out in the group stage. At club level he began with Manisaspor, finishing seventh in the second division in 2013-14, then managed Gençlerbirliği, Balıkesirspor, Karşıyaka and Elazığspor.

His steadiest spell came at Kasımpaşa, where he replaced Rıza Çalımbay and served from 16 September 2016 to 1 October 2018, returning in July 2019 after a stint at Göztepe. In January 2020 he took over Yeni Malatyaspor after Sergen Yalçın, and in April 2023 he returned to Kasımpaşa for a third time in the seat vacated by Selçuk İnan. His teams play a 4-5-1 with a deep defence and pressing midfield, relying on quick wingers and a striker who drops back as a false nine. He graduated from Manisa Celal Bayar University in 1994.