2 weeks ago
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Galatasaray title battle
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Fenerbahçe are on the hunt for a new manager after José Mourinho was sacked last week. The legendary Portuguese boss was dismissed after failing to qualify for the Champions League and tension with board members. Mourinho claimed that he ‘didn’t know’ who Fenerbahçe vice-president Hamdi Akin was despite the 71-year-old billionaire leaping to his defence last season amid racism allegations and that was a major factor.
Fenerbahçe haven’t won the Süper Lig in 11 years and they already trail fierce rivals Galatasaray by two points in the title race. Istanbul is one of the most passionate footballing cities in the world and Fener supporters will expect a new manager to be appointed during the international break. Several names have been linked with replacing Mourinho and we’ve analysed four candidates, using expert insight from Lara Karacan, Transfermarkt’s Super Lig expert.
Four Fenerbahce manager candidates to replace Jose Mourinho
The election for Fenerbahce’s new president takes place later this month and this has complicated the search for a new manager. Karacan said: “The board is split in two camps: one side wants Ismail Kartal back (or at least a Turkish coach), the other one, especially sporting director Devin Özek, wants a German coach. But I think Kartal remains the favourite at the moment.” Kartal has already had three spells in charge at Fener and he’s viewed as a safe pair of hands but he’s hardly an exciting appointment. The 64-year-old’s record at Fener is quite impressive with 86 wins in 125 games at an average of 2.24 points per game.
It’s understood that Roger Schmidt is the preferred candidate of Fener’s German sporting director Özek. Schmidt has been out of work since August 2024 but he possesses strong managerial pedigree at PSV, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Salzburg. There’s been speculation that Schmidt could retire from management but he was strongly linked with Borussia Dortmund in January and Fener would be appealing.
Turkish businessman Sadettin Saran wants to become Fener’s new president and it’s understood that Sérgio Conceição is his dream appointment. The 50 year-old departed AC Milan in the summer after a short-term spell, despite winning the Italian Super Cup. Conceicao built an exceptional reputation in Porto, winning the league title three times and he’d represent an interesting potential.
It’s understood that Ange Postecoglou is on Fernerbahce’s shortlist, but Bayer Leverkusen are also keen on the Australian. The 60-year-old was dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer after leading them to Europa League glory. Postecoglou has won league titles in Australia, Scotland and Japan, so he possesses a track record of winning trophies and that will appeal to Fenerbahce - but it’s unclear whether he would be interested.
