 He had a trial with Manchester United during the winter of that year, but did not impress enough to secure a contract with the English team.Before the start of 1999, Bakircioglu transferred to Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan.He scored his first competitive goal for the Stockholm-based side on 1 July the same year, in a 3–0 home win against IFK Norrköping; he quickly became a fan favourite at his new club, and ended the season playing 25 league matches, scoring twice.