After about three years without a job, Ismail Atalan is back in business. He is moving abroad, to Turkey.

Ismail Atalan has found a new coaching job. Since a few days he is part of the coaching team of head coach Ömer Erdogan.

The latter had signed a contract with Turkish Süper Lig table 13th Alanyaspor on April 22, 2023 and was able to win Atalan for his functional team. Atalan is one of several co-coaches and responsible for the tactical area.

“I am glad that I could convince Ismail Atalan for this edition. He will support me with his professional knowledge as tactics coach. Of course, I hope that he likes it here so much that he stays longer. Even the first few days have shown that he can take us to a better level in the tactical area and become very valuable to us,” Erdogan, who once played three second-division games for FC St. Pauli, told RevierSport.

The 43-year-old Atalan initially signed a contract until the end of the season, how it will continue after that, he does not yet know. He first wants to get an accurate impression of his first foreign engagement. “At first glance, of course, everything is beautiful. The sea is only 700 meters away. Alanya is a great area. But I’m here to work, after all. Let’s see how it will all go. Every experience can be a very valuable one. The goal for now is to keep the club in the Süper Lig. I will support head coach Ömer Erdogan wherever I can. I thank him for the trust, of course,” soccer coach Atalan told RS.

Ismail Atalan led Lotte to the 3rd division and the DFB Cup quarterfinals

The former successful coach of Sportfreunde Lotte, who once led the current Oberliga club to the 3rd League and the DFB Cup quarterfinals, was most recently in charge of Hallescher FC as head coach from February to June 2020. Before that, the family man from Senden in the Münsterland region worked for VfL Bochum in the 2nd Bundesliga from July to October 2017.

At Lotte, Atalan was employed twice: January 2015 to July 2017 and April 2019 to February 2020. The trained insurance specialist started his coaching career at SC Gievenbeck II and Davaria Davensberg, both as player-coach. His first head coaching position was with SC Roland Beckum. For Atalan, the present is Alanyaspor in the Süper Lig.