Dirk Kuyt named Fenerbahce interim manager days before Liverpool Champions League reunion

Dirk Kuyt has been appointed interim manager of Fenerbahce, just one week before the Turkish club host Liverpool in the Champions League. The 46-year-old Dutchman, who was serving as assistant coach, steps up after head coach Ismail Kartal resigned on Tuesday following a 2-1 Super Lig defeat to fierce rivals Galatasaray.

Fenerbahce confirmed Kuyt will take charge “until a new head coach is appointed”, with his first domestic assignment coming this weekend against Goztepe. The club currently sit fifth in the Super Lig, six points behind leaders Galatasaray after nine games.

The reunion with Liverpool carries obvious personal significance. Kuyt spent six years at Anfield, scoring 71 goals in 285 appearances and becoming a firm fan favourite. He won the League Cup with the club in 2012 and was their top scorer in two separate seasons — netting 12 in his debut campaign of 2006/07 and 13 under Kenny Dalglish in 2010/11, a tally that included a famous hat-trick against Manchester United.

Kuyt also has deep ties to Fenerbahce as a player, having won the Super Lig and the Turkish Cup during a three-year stint at the club before returning to Feyenoord, where he helped end an 18-year wait for the Eredivisie title in 2017. He earned 104 caps for the Netherlands and started the 2010 World Cup final against Spain.

His managerial career prior to this appointment included spells at ADO Den Haag, Beerschot and FC Dordrecht before he joined Fenerbahce’s coaching staff in June 2024. His time as assistant has been marked by instability — Kartal had initially resigned in September before the club rejected that departure, only to accept his second resignation this week.

Fenerbahce have not won the Super Lig since 2013/14, and Kuyt inherits a squad under pressure both domestically and in Europe as he prepares to face the club that shaped his playing career.