Fenerbahçe started the 2024-25 Süper Lig season below a blazing highlight, with Jose Mourinho on the helm and a roster bursting with star names.
Yet, on the finish of the season, the Yellow Canaries are as soon as once more grounded, watching rivals Galatasaray raise a record-extending twenty fifth title whereas their very own title drought stretches right into a twelfth 12 months.
The summer time of 2024 promised a brand new daybreak.
Club president Ali Koç pulled each string, investing closely in a glittering squad and appointing Mourinho – one of many sport’s most adorned coaches, to lastly ship the Süper Lig championship.
The environment round Kadıköy was electrical.
The arrivals of marquee names like Edin Dzeko and Fred from the earlier season, Youssef En-Nesyri and Anderson Talisca set the stage for what many believed could be a season to recollect.
Instead, it grew to become one other nightmare.
Despite boasting a lineup full of European pedigree, Fenerbahçe failed to satisfy the lofty expectations.
Edin Dzeko, the 38-year-old Bosnian ahead who had defied age with 21 objectives in 2023-24, continued to attain in flashes however was usually outpaced in high-intensity matches.
Youssef En-Nesyri, a 20 million euro ($22.6 million) signing from Sevilla, introduced an aerial risk and scored key objectives, but by no means actually settled into Mourinho’s tactical plans.
By early 2025, whispers of a summer time exit started to swirl.
The mid-season arrival of Anderson Talisca from Al-Nassr was meant to be the inventive spark.
Instead, it ignited confusion. His presence compelled tactical reshuffles that marginalized Dzeko and En-Nesyri.
Despite the joy his signing generated, the Brazilian playmaker’s 5 million euro half-season wage strained Fenerbahçe’s funds, whereas his on-field impression proved inconsistent.
Fred, as soon as of Manchester United, symbolized the membership’s inner battle. Signed to anchor the midfield, he was shackled by Mourinho’s conservative method, not often venturing ahead.
Reports of friction between the 2 added to a rising sense of disarray behind the scenes, regardless of a quick resurgence that included a hat trick towards Rizespor.
Loan strikes for Sofyan Amrabat, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Milan Skriniar added depth, however little continuity.
Amrabat’s engine was dulled by fatigue, Saint-Maximin dazzled however lacked finish product, and Skriniar, although a defensive improve, arrived too late to plug early-season gaps.
The departures of key contributors like Ferdi Kadıoğlu to Brighton and Arda Güler to Real Madrid robbed the squad of dynamism and coronary heart.
Mourinho’s reign, introduced with fireworks and declarations of ardour – “This shirt is my skin,” he declared to followers – has been rocky.
His reliance on veterans and pragmatic ways clashed with the calls for of a fanbase lengthy starved for aptitude and success.
The staff’s common age hovered above 27, and it confirmed in essential moments.
Defeats to Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, and dropped factors to mid-table sides like Samsunspor, sapped momentum at essential junctures.
Though Fenerbahçe produced a few of their best soccer within the Europa League, together with a spirited run that led to a penalty shootout towards Rangers, the home marketing campaign informed a unique story.
April discovered them nonetheless in mathematical rivalry, trailing Galatasaray by 4 factors, however a crushing Turkish Cup loss to their fiercest rivals reignited scrutiny over Mourinho’s tenure.
Off the pitch, the Portuguese supervisor remained a lightning rod.
He feuded with referees, clashed with reporters, and fanned flames with rivals, together with a controversial nose-pinching gesture towards Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk.
Supporters have been cut up: some admired the fireplace, others noticed a coach out of step with trendy soccer.
Güler’s ghost
Haunting the season was the title Arda Güler.
Sold to Real Madrid in July 2023 for 20 million euros, the 19-year-old playmaker blossomed right into a breakout star in Spain, turning into a key determine on the Bernabeu regardless of jiffy below his belt.
His success solely deepened the remorse amongst Fenerbahçe followers, who noticed his departure as each a monetary necessity and a inventive void the membership didn’t fill.
Güler’s trajectory stood in stark distinction to the Canaries’ decline – an emblem of what might have been.
Mixed bag
Fenerbahçe’s failure to finish their title drought stems from a cocktail of missteps: tactical inflexibility, a lopsided wage invoice, disrupted squad concord, and a switch technique that favored growing older stars over rising abilities.
Their 60.78 million euros web spend over 5 seasons, coupled with 76.6 million euros in debt, left little margin for error.
The gross sales of Güler, Kadıoğlu introduced in round a lump sum, however the reinvestments by no means yielded cohesion or consistency.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray’s dominance underlined the hole.
With a file 102 factors in 2023-24 and one other sturdy marketing campaign in 2024-25, they’ve develop into the standard-bearers.
Fenerbahçe’s personal 99-point season a 12 months in the past, as soon as a glimmer of hope, now appears like a false daybreak.
As the curtain falls on a season of squandered promise, Fenerbahçe should replicate and reset.
Whether Mourinho stays or goes, the membership’s path ahead should embody a dedication to youth, smarter spending, and tactical evolution.
Source: www.dailysabah.com