Fenerbahçe appoints Belözoğlu, fifth manager of 2026, and rules out Deschamps

Fenerbahçe has officially announced the appointment of Emre Belözoğlu as manager, definitively ending rumours linking Didier Deschamps to the Istanbul club. The former Turkish international, 46, succeeds interim manager Dirk Kuyt, who was himself appointed on 28 October following Ismail Kartal’s resignation.

Deschamps’ name had circulated persistently in Istanbul since the two-time World Cup winner stepped down from the France national team bench. His profile as a leader and winning mentality appeal far beyond Turkey: the French coach is also being linked with Manchester United, where Michael Carrick’s future appears uncertain, and Juventus Turin, a club he managed during their Serie A promotion in 2006-07 and where he retains considerable standing.

For Fenerbahçe, the board ultimately opted for familiarity. Belözoğlu knows the club well: he has already managed there in 2021, called in urgently after Erol Bulut’s departure. His record at the time was solid — seven wins, two draws, one defeat — before the club chose to hand the reins to Vitor Pereira for the following season.

This return above all illustrates the institutional chaos shaking the club. Belözoğlu is the fifth manager appointed at Fenerbahçe in the course of 2026 alone, a figure that testifies to chronic instability at one of Turkish football’s most prominent institutions.