Journalist Ben Jacobs claimed that Jose Mourinho is frustrated and on his way to leaving Turkish club Fenerbahçe in the coming days, while Al Hilal intensifies negotiations with “Special One” to succeed Jorge Jesus at the Saudi club.
Mourinho failed to win any titles with Fenerbahçe in his first season, exiting the Turkish Cup in the quarterfinals against Galatasaray, exiting the Europa League in the round of 16 against Rangers, and losing the Turkish League to Galatasaray. His absence has caused numerous crises in Turkish football.
According to the renowned journalist, Mourinho is unhappy in Turkey, and Fenerbahçe’s management has begun to show less support and has recently criticized him extensively, indicating that a split is imminent between the two parties, despite the Portuguese’s contract still extending until the summer of 2026.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has joined a list of four other coaches being negotiated by Al Hilal to take over the Blue Wave.
The first and most likely candidate so far is Marco Silva, the current Fulham manager, along with Nuno Espirito Santo, the Nottingham Forest manager, and Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona manager. The most difficult option is Simone Inzaghi, the Inter Milan manager.
It’s worth noting that Mourinho said in a press interview that he wouldn’t rule out coaching in Saudi Arabia one day, but decided to postpone this move when the opportunity arose to coach Al-Qadisiyah last year, until a later date he felt would be more suitable for his ambitions.
