İlhan Palut

İlhan Palut — Biography

Born on 12 November 1976 in Hatay, İlhan Palut played as a midfielder for four clubs during his professional career, making 338 league appearances and scoring 32 goals before retiring at Çorumspor. After hanging up his boots he moved into coaching as an assistant at Kırıkhanspor and gradually worked his way up through Turkey's football pyramid, taking charge of clubs in the TFF First League and the Süper Lig.

One of the high points of his managerial career came at Hatayspor, whom he guided to the Süper Lig for the first time in the club's history, a feat that soon earned him a top-flight post at Göztepe. Known for favoring a 4-2-3-1 system, a high-pressing style, and a focus on developing young domestic players, Palut also led Konyaspor to a third-place Süper Lig finish with 68 points in the 2021-22 season. Appointed head coach of Çaykur Rizespor in June 2023, he steered the club to two consecutive 9th-place finishes before leaving the post in November 2025 after a run of poor results.

As of 2026 Palut is back in charge of Konyaspor, overseeing the club's transfer business and pre-season training camps while shaping the squad for the upcoming campaign.