Vincenzo Italiano's new side are right on track. Their 3-0 first-leg win over Lithuanian outfit FK Kauno Zalgiris in the Europa League play-offs has already put the Turkish giants on the brink of the league phase in the 2026/27 competition. Hyeon-Gyu Oh struck in the 6th minute, Michael Amir Murillo added another in the 12th minute and Orkun Kökcü made it 3-0 in the 59th.
Yet the standout performer so far this season remains the man in goal. Against the club from Kaunas, Nübel made his sixth competitive appearance for his new employers and kept a clean sheet for the sixth game running.
Turkish press once again reacted with delight. "Nübel is a wall - he does not concede any goals," the daily newspaper Hürriyet said in praise of the new signing: "He has caused a stir with his performances in the black-and-white shirt."
Getty ImagesBesiktas win their first six games of the season without conceding
Nübel was under contract at Bayern Munich from 2020 to 2026 but never managed to establish himself there and made only four competitive appearances for the record champions in that time. His loan spell at Stuttgart, by contrast, was a success.
Besiktas also made it six wins from six under Italiano with the result against the underdogs. Before next Thursday's second leg, they travel to Alanyaspor on matchday two of the Süper Lig. The positive trend, driven in part by huge investment in the transfer market, is now set to continue there.
Club officials have already spent just under €67 million on new players. Alongside Nübel, who joined permanently from Bayern Munich in July for just under €6 million, Besiktas also pushed through several other expensive deals.
Getty ImagesWho are Besiktas' new signings?
Kökcü, who had previously been on loan from Benfica, joined permanently for €30 million. The Istanbul side also bolstered the squad on a free transfer with Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus Turin and signed Leandro Trossard from Arsenal for €18 million.
There was a setback in the win over Zalgiris, though: Trossard was injured during the match and had to go off early.