Jose Mourinho Ali Koc Turkish tycoon billionaire Jose Mourinho
José Mourinho has officially departed from his role as head coach of Fenerbahçe after the club failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
The news has immediately fueled speculation of a sensational return to the Premier League, with Manchester United and West Ham United both mentioned as potential destinations according to Four Four Two.
The Daily Star also reported that Mourinho dropped a hint that he could be interested in a United return.
The 62-year-old Portuguese coach’s exit comes after a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Benfica in the final qualifying round, which will see Fenerbahçe drop into the Europa League. This failure has a significant financial impact, as the club will miss out on approximately €92.5 million in guaranteed broadcast revenue from the Champions League, a stark contrast to the €23 million from the Europa League.
Fenerbahçe confirmed the split in a statement, saying, “Our Professional Football team has parted ways with José Mourinho, who has been serving as head coach since the 2024-2025 season. We thank him for his efforts for our team thus far and wish him success in his future career.”
Mourinho’s availability has put several Premier League clubs on high alert. Graham Potter is facing increasing pressure at West Ham after a poor start to the season, with fans calling for a change at the London Stadium.
Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim’s struggles at Manchester United have left club officials considering his future. Despite a full pre-season and a net transfer spend of over £200 million, Amorim has been unable to turn the team’s fortunes around. A return to Old Trafford for Mourinho would be a dramatic turn of events, as he was last at the club in December 2018. During his initial two-and-a-half-year spell, he won the League Cup, FA Community Shield, and FA Cup, and secured a second-place finish in the league—a major achievement given the club’s recent decline.
Now a free agent, Mourinho has expressed no desire to retire from management and is expected to return to his family in the UK, where he will undoubtedly be a central figure in the transfer market for managers.