01.11.2026 17:31
The Göztepe defeat at Fenerbahçe disrupted the head coach's plans. Fenerbahçe management gave up the idea of continuing with Dirk Kuyt until the international break and held talks with 2 new coach candidates. Here are the details...
In the 10th week of the Super Lig, Fenerbahce, who lost 2-1 at home to Goztepe and fell 9 points behind leaders Galatasaray, continues to face uncertainty over its head coach. Following the defeat, the yellow-navy management made a radical change to the roadmap it had previously set.
KUYT DECISION SHELVED
In a recent statement, the Fenerbahce management announced that the plan was for Dirk Kuyt to temporarily coach the team until the international break. However, after the defeat against Goztepe, this decision was abandoned and the search for a new head coach was brought forward and accelerated.
TWO NEW CANDIDATES
Wanting to appoint the new head coach before the international break, the Fenerbahce management contacted and held talks with two Spanish coaches on its list.
ERNESTO VALVERDE
The experienced coach Ernesto Valverde, who most recently managed Athletic Bilbao and has been without a club since June 30, had also worked at Barcelona in past years.
JOSE LUIS MENDILIBAR
Jose Luis Mendilibar, who most recently left Olympiakos in September, achieved significant European success by winning the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla and the UEFA Conference League with Olympiakos. It was claimed that the management asked both Valverde and Mendilibar for an evaluation report on the team.
LAST RESORT AYKUT KOCAMAN
It was noted that if the yellow-navy side does not receive a positive response from the Spanish coaches or cannot reach an agreement, the last candidate to come to the agenda will be Aykut Kocaman.