In 2005–06, Ateş played an integral part in Galatasaray's 16th national championship conquest. However, on 25 July 2007, club manager Karl-Heinz Feldkamp officially reported to the board he was not planning to use the player in the upcoming season, which resulted in a transfer list; he split (always on loan) the campaign between Ankaraspor and Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, netting 11 goals in total.
For 2008–09 another loan ensued, as Ateş joined Real Sociedad.[2] Though heavily featured, he only managed to score once and the Basque side finished sixth, thus failing to return to La Liga.
In the 2009 summer, after more than 100 official matches and over 50 goals, Galtasaray released Ateş. He immediately joined fellow league club Antalyaspor, ranking joint-fourth in the topscorers' list as it finished ninth.
On the last day of the January 2012 transfer window, Ateş signed a six-month contract with old acquaintance Galatasaray for a fee of €250,000.[3] He scored his first goal in his second spell on 4 February in a 2–1 win at Gaziantepspor, and went on to have an important offensive role as the team won the domestic league.
