The dream of Fenerbahçe supporters has passed. After the announcement of Ismail Kartal’s departure, many were hoping for the arrival of a big name to manage a complicated locker room. Arne Slot, Pep Guardiola and Julian Nagelsmann were thus cited.
Just like Didier Deschamps, who has definitely made many supporters dream since he left the bench of the France team. The aura of the 1998 and 2018 world champion arouses real expectations, and his profile as a leader of men is hoped for in the four corners of Europe. In addition to Turkey, where his name had already been mentioned after the departure of former coach Vincenzo Montella, Didier Deschamps is also mentioned with insistence on the side of Manchester United, where the future of Michael Carrick no longer seems to hang by a thread. At Old Trafford, his ability to impose iron discipline and his winning culture are seen by many as the ideal remedy for Mancunian turbulence.
But it is also on the side of Juventus Turin that the name of the French technician makes hearts beat. Many fans of the Old Lady dream of her big return to the Piedmontese bench. Having passed through the club as a player before being the coach during the rise to Serie A in 2006-2007, Deschamps maintains his rating intact in Piedmont, where his tactical pragmatism and his history with the Bianconeri make him the perfect candidate to rekindle the Turin flame.
An elder of the house called to the rescue
In Istanbul, the name Didier Deschamps had all the makings of wishful thinking. To save an increasingly chaotic season, the Istanbul management chose familiarity and pragmatism by formalizing the appointment of Emre Belözoğlu as coach. The 46-year-old former Turkish international, who was a professional player for 24 years, is making his comeback to the very first club he coached just after hanging up his boots.
This return to basics recalls a situation well known to yellow and blue supporters. In 2021, the club management had already urgently called on him to take the reins of the first team following the departure of Erol Bulut. At the time, Belözoğlu was able to respond with a very honorable record to end the season: 7 victories, 2 draws and only one defeat. Despite this remarkable recovery, the club’s staff chose to hire Vitor Pereira to launch the following campaign, encouraging the Turkish technician to continue his coaching career elsewhere.
This new appointment above all illustrates the extreme instability which currently reigns within the Istanbul institution. This is in fact the fifth change of coach at Fenerbahçe during the year 2026 alone. Belözoğlu succeeds the Dutchman Dirk Kuyt, who was appointed interim coach on October 28 following the resignation of Ismail Kartal, caused by a particularly bitter defeat in the derby against sworn rival Galatasaray (1-2).
For the man who wore the Fenerbahçe tunic 227 times during his playing career, the challenge promises to be immense even if the prestigious victory won on Wednesday against Liverpool in the Champions League brings hope.
