Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho could be reunited with one of his former players after taking over as Fenerbahce coach on Sunday.
After weeks of speculation, Mourinho was confirmed as the Istanbul giants’ new coach on Sunday morning, having worked on TNT’s coverage of the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday night.
“I want to thank you for your love,” Mourinho said at his unveiling. “The love I felt from the first moment my name was connected with Fenerbahce.
Former Chelsea pair Jose Mourinho and Romelu Lukaku at Roma in October 2023. (Image credit: Getty Images)
“Normally a coach is loved after victories, in this case I feel loved before victories. That, for me, is a big responsibility. I promise you, from this moment, I belong to your family.
“This shirt is my skin, football is passion. There is no better place to feel that passion.”
With the Portuguese now installed as Fenerbahce’s new coach, focus has quickly switched to transfer targets for the Turkish club this summer.
And presidential hopeful Aziz Yildirim, who was in charge of Fenerbahce for 20 years until 2018 and is hoping for a return, revealed three targets.
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“I mentioned the players,” he told reporters in Istanbul. “We said [Romelu] Lukaku. We said [Paulo] Dybala and [Anderson] Talisca. We keep the rest for ourselves. I’ll tell you after I am elected.”
Lukaku worked with Mourinho at Manchester United and again last season at Roma, on loan from Chelsea. Dybala also played under the Portuguese at Roma, while Brazilian Talisca is currently in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr.
