Fenerbahce say they have opened talks with Jose Mourinho over becoming their new head coach.
The 61-year-old has been out of football since being sacked as Roma head coach in January and would replace Ismail Kartal at the Istanbul club.
“Negotiations have started with Jose Mario Dos Santos Mourinho Felix for the position of coach,” Fenerbahce said in a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).
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Fenerbahce later posted a video of Mourinho on their social media channels, with Mourinho saying: “Merhaba (hello) Fenerbahce fans. See you tomorrow in Kadikoy and let’s start our journey together.”
An official announcement is expected at 5pm local time (7pm BST).
MOU time ⏳ pic.twitter.com/SXGTchnTyu
— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) June 2, 2024
Fenerbahce have not won the Turkish Super Lig since 2014 and missed out on this season’s title to city rivals Galatasaray, despite losing just one of their 38 league matches and finishing on 99 points.
Fenerbahce’s Turkish Cup success in 2023 is their only major success in the past decade, and they exited this season’s Europa Conference League at the quarter-final stage — losing to eventual winners Olympiacos in a penalty shootout.
Mourinho is one of the most decorated football managers of all time having won the Champions League at Porto and Inter, while lifting three Premier League titles across two spells at Chelsea alongside high-profile stints in charge of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham prior to his appointment as Roma boss in 2021.
Roma finished in sixth place in each of Mourinho’s two full seasons in charge and was sacked in January with the club in ninth place in Serie A. Under Daniele De Rossi, Roma concluded the 2023-24 season in sixth.
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Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in 2015 in 16th in the Premier League, while he guided Manchester United to sixth and second place finishes respectively, before being dismissed in his third season with the club a distant sixth.
The Portuguese manager’s first season at Tottenham saw the club finish sixth, before he was dismissed in April 2021 with the club in seventh.
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Despite struggles domestically with Roma, Mourinho did lead the Italian club to their first European title since the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1961 when they defeated Feyenoord in the final of the Europa Conference League in 2022.
Roma came close to winning their first ever Europa League title the following campaign, but were edged out by Sevilla in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 final draw.
Mourinho has won a total of 26 trophies across his managerial career, which has spanned more than two decades.
(Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
