Jose Mourinho Unhappy With Fenerbahçe Board

Things were never going to be quiet with Jose Mourinho at the helm, but just a few weeks into preseason, the tension is already rising, and it is not because of what is happening on the pitch. The Portuguese manager is reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with the club’s hierarchy over their sluggish approach to transfers, particularly with the all-important Champions League third-round qualifiers just around the corner.

The qualifiers, scheduled for August 5 and 6, are creeping closer, and Mourinho’s patience is wearing thin. His vision for the team is clear, and he has not been shy about who he wants, but while the club has been active in some areas of the market, his top requests have yet to materialize.

Mourinho Is Waiting On His Key Men

One name that has been on Mourinho’s list from day one is Milan Škriniar. The Slovakian defender impressed during his loan spell at Fenerbahçe last season, and Mourinho is desperate to keep him permanently. Škriniar is a leader who understands his defensive structure and can anchor the backline.

Despite Mourinho’s trust in him, the deal has not gone through. Negotiations are dragging, and it is not entirely clear why. The estimated fee is around €10 million, a sum Mourinho believes is worth paying for someone so integral to his plans.

To make matters more frustrating for the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss, the club has shifted its attention elsewhere,  specifically to Inter midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu. It is a move that Mourinho reportedly did not even sign off on initially. Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç moved forward with the enquiry without his manager’s green light. While Çalhanoğlu is open to the transfer and even willing to ask Inter to lower their asking price, Mourinho sees the chase as a distraction from what is urgent.

With European qualification games around the corner, every day without his core squad is a day lost in preparation. Mourinho had hoped to have both Škriniar and two new wingers integrated into the team during their preseason camp in Portugal. Instead, he is left waiting, again.

Business Done, But Not Enough

That is not to say Fenerbahçe has not been doing business. They have made a few moves in the market, bringing in Archie Brown, Tarık Çetin, and Jhon Duran, the latter arriving on loan from Al Nassr. None of these are the kind of statement signings Mourinho needs to compete at both domestic and European levels.

Meanwhile, across town, Galatasaray are flexing their muscles. Their transfer activity has shown immense ambition in the market. Victor Osimhen will join soon, Ederson has agreed to terms, and Leroy Sané has already arrived from Bayern Munich. That level of ambition only makes Fenerbahçe’s slower moves look more worrying from a fan’s point of view and Mourinho’s.

There was also a rumor of a rift between Mourinho and Duran after a training session in Portugal, but the club quickly shot that down as “entirely false.” Fenerbahçe confirmed Duran arrived at camp on time and that there’s no tension between the two.

Even so, Mourinho has always been a man who speaks through action. His frustration doesn’t come out in press conferences, at least not yet,  but you can feel the tension in the way he is operating. He came to Istanbul to compete, and he doesn’t want excuses. If his top players don’t arrive soon, there’s every chance he could become more vocal about his dissatisfaction.

Final Thoughts

Fenerbahçe will face Feyenoord in their Champions League third-round match, and they kick off their Turkish Super Lig campaign against Alanyaspor on August 9. That leaves very little time to set up tactics or build chemistry with new signings, assuming they arrive in time at all.

Mourinho has never been one to suffer delays lightly. Whether the Fenerbahçe board listens and acts quickly enough is the million-euro question. Because right now, Mourinho doesn’t just want results. He wants action.