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Caulker joins 2nd-tier Turkish club after seeking a new team on social media

  /  autty

A former England international has signed for the 16th club of his career after advertising his availability as a free agent on social media.

The defender asked social media network LinkedIn to 'work its magic' back in May after leaving fifth-tier Spanish club Malaga City.

Having started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, the 32-year-old has undergone an intriguing career so far, featuring for the likes of Swansea, Queens Park Rangers and Liverpool in England before representing a host of Turkish clubs including Fenerbahce and Alanyaspor.

His international career, however, has perhaps been even more unusual.

After earning a solitary England cap and representing for Great Britain London Olympics in 2012, the centre-half switched allegiances to represent and captain Sierra Leone, starring the African nation on 13 occasions.

Now, Steven Caulker has announced on LinkedIn that he is returning to Turkey after signing for second-tier outfit Keciorengucu.

'If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. 16th season pending,' he said on Monday.

'It's not been easy finding a club after a year away from playing, but I'm happy to say that I've finally been given an opportunity.

'I've sent loads of messages over the past few months, most of which have gone unanswered. I've also been promised deals and then been left completely hanging.

'This isn't a "poor me" post. This is the reality of football. If you want a career in this industry, you have to be prepared to deal with the s*** that comes with it whilst you're not flavour of the month.

'The biggest win for me was getting up every day and pushing myself in the gym and on the pitch. When I got offered a trial here in Turkey, I snapped their hand off. I had been training every day so I knew that I could do the business on the pitch.

'3 days later, they offered me a deal. I'm looking forward to learning from another great coach & and I'm excited to get back playing.'

In his initial appeal for a new club on social media, Caulker said that he was 'preferably' looking for a role as a coach but is still open to playing.

The post included a picture of himself in an England kit alongside former Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson.

Caulker started his career at Spurs before being labelled a 'disgrace' by club chairman Daniel Levy and eventually left north London in 2013.

He went on to enjoy spells at Welsh rivals Cardiff and Swansea, as well as QPR, Liverpool and Southampton, before moving to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership in 2018.

While at the Reds, Caulker admitted he was 's****** himself' with panic after being thrown in as a substitute by Jurgen Klopp, having come to the club on loan amid an injury crisis at Anfield, and ended up playing just four games for Liverpool before taking on a new challenge in Turkey.

He returned to England for a short spell with Wigan Athletic in 2023, where he used LinkedIn to take a very pointed swipe at the club's owners after they repeatedly failed to pay their players.