Jose Mourinho Speaks at His First Press Conference as Fenerbahçe Manager!

Fenerbahçe’s new head coach, Jose Mourinho, made statements at his first press conference in Turkey.

Before Mourinho, Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç spoke:

“I thank the 35,000 fans who came to the stadium. We gave our coach a fantastic ‘Welcome’. Our coach and his team said they have never experienced anything like it. Thanks to our fans for showing the difference of Fenerbahçe.

“MR. YILDIRIM SAID ‘I MADE A DEAL,’ BUT IT DIDN’T MEAN IT WAS DONE”

We don’t sell dreams; we tell the truth. For six years, we haven’t leaked any transfer news, only announcing when we see a wet signature. Mr. Yıldırım said ‘I made a deal,’ but that didn’t mean it was done.

Promising championships doesn’t make you champions. I promised to build a team that doesn’t need to promise championships. We will discuss this with Jose Mourinho. We won’t make empty promises to win over young congress members. We will not announce unfinished transfers for a few votes. We don’t win elections this way! I don’t think we’ll make an announcement before Saturday. We have spoken to players, but Mourinho hasn’t stepped in yet. Once he does, the appeal will increase. Fenerbahçe is now an attractive center.

WHY MOURINHO CAME

I asked Mourinho why he came. He said, ‘Turkey and Fenerbahçe will add a lot to me. If I bring championships to Fenerbahçe and succeed in the top two European tournaments, people will say I applied my winning character here too. This will contribute to my career.’

ALI KOÇ: “I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING LIES FOR SIX YEARS”

I have been fighting lies for six years, at a pathological level. Now, I am fighting words from our previous president that have no relation to the truth. If Mourinho prioritized money, he would be in Saudi Arabia. Our project, vision, and what we want to achieve together appealed to him more. He accepted our offer under better conditions. I want to thank him for that. We wouldn’t have made an offer while we had a current coach.

JOSE MOURINHO’S STATEMENTS

“First, I want to make a short introduction. Thank you to all the fans who came yesterday. Secondly, I wanted the president to sit in the middle, and for me to sit in his place. I used to joke ‘I am Mourinho,’ but now I say ‘I am the coach of Fenerbahçe’ because that’s what I want to be.

“I WANT TO SEE STABILITY”

The first person who contacted me was Mario Branco. As a result, the first person to contact me was Ali Koç. This piqued my interest. I haven’t talked to anyone about transfers. I want to see the project rather than names. I want to see stability. We talked about profiles to improve the team, not names. I have no emotional attachment to my former team, Roma. Now is not the time for emotions; we must work calmly.

“I MET WITH AZIZ YILDIRIM BUT DID NOT TAKE PERMISSION”

I was a free agent. I didn’t need to ask anyone. I consult my family, my loved ones, and my manager. I don’t take permission from anyone. Of course, I met with Aziz Yıldırım, but I did not take permission to come to Fenerbahçe.

“I SIGNED HERE FOR ALI KOÇ AND BRANCO’S PROJECT”

I am Fenerbahçe’s coach for two years. I signed the contract with our president Ali Koç and sporting director Mario Branco present. The project presented to me was very important. I have worked at big clubs worldwide, but the facilities here are excellent. A large percentage of our players will be at EURO 2024. We need to start work in two weeks. I am Fenerbahçe’s coach, and I will give everything for the fans because they are the soul of this club. As I said, I signed here for the project presented by Ali Koç and Mario Branco.

“I WAS FOLLOWING THE TURKISH LEAGUE”

In Portugal, Turkish league matches are broadcast live. I have been following the Turkish league even before contacting Fenerbahçe. I draw attention wherever I go. Now, this league will be watched more in Europe. I came here to work for Turkish football, but primarily for Fenerbahçe. If I need to stand up and raise my voice to defend Fenerbahçe’s rights, I won’t hesitate.

“I THANK ISMAIL KARTAL”

I realize questions here are long. You should ask shorter questions. First, I thank İsmail Kartal and wish him the best for his career. It wouldn’t be right to comment on last season. I want my players to trust me. I will be direct with them. I need some time to get to know the team. We will start the new season around June 22-23. We have a four-week preparation period. It’s impossible to change things quickly. I am different from İsmail Kartal. Everyone has unique qualities. We will build a strong team to realize the dreams of Fenerbahçe fans.

“OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO WIN THE SUPER LEAGUE”

I promise nothing except commitment, passion, and empathy for the fans. This jersey is now my skin. This reflects my mentality. Of course, our main goal is to win the Super League. We respect other teams, but we will fight for this. People have big dreams; I played in six European finals and won five, but we must take it step by step. The playoffs won’t be easy for us. Maybe it’s not right to say this, but I hope our players at EURO 2024 return early and join us. The Europa League makes you dream more, but our goal is to qualify for the Champions League.

“I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE INTEREST SHOWN TO ME”

The document presented to me is correct; usually, coaches present to clubs. This time it was the opposite. I know Fenerbahçe’s fanbase. I played against Fenerbahçe with Manchester United. The project presented to me impressed me. The second part is ambition. Is ambition going to the Europa League with a Premier League team from London, where I live? I love Italy; is ambition achieving success in Europe there? For me, ambition is winning every match. This is the reality of Fenerbahçe. I know the fans’ dreams. If I could, I would start training tomorrow and have a match this weekend. The interest shown to me has affected me; now it’s my turn to show something.

“I HOPE THE LEAGUE WILL BE MORE BALANCED NEXT YEAR”

A team scoring 99 points and another scoring 102 points is not good. The gap with other teams is not good. I hope the league will be more balanced next year. Improving this league is good for everyone.

LUKAKU AND DYBALA STATEMENT

You must be respectful and honest about players leaving and joining the team. Players shouldn’t learn this from the media. We must also be open with the players. You should learn about transfers after they are finalized. I hear rumors that I want Dybala and Lukaku. I haven’t spoken to Lukaku or Dybala.

“I WILL DO EVERYTHING FOR THE CLUB”

My image rights are my own. I am Fenerbahçe’s coach. I will be involved in any collaboration my club wants me to participate in. I will do everything for my club. If it creates extra income for my club, I will do it. I am no longer Jose Mourinho; I am Fenerbahçe’s coach.

“IF ARDA GULER WANTS TO COME, WHY NOT?”

If he wants to come, why not (Arda Güler)? If you play for a team like Real Madrid and are a young player, you don’t want to return. If he loves the club and wants to return, and if Real Madrid pays 75% of his salary, I would want him to come.

“I DON’T LIKE WORKING IN CLUBS WITHOUT AMBITION”

My job is to make the fans happy. I don’t like working in clubs without ambition. To be special, you need to win matches. That’s my job. That’s my ambition in coming here.

Fenerbahçe Sporting Director Mario Branco also made statements:

“I apologize to you; it has been two years, but I haven’t learned Turkish. I earn money for Fenerbahçe to have the best. I am here to bring the best. Jose Mourinho is Fenerbahçe’s coach for two years. There should be no question marks. I am the first person to talk to Mourinho about coming to Turkey. What happened after doesn’t concern me. What concerns me is the project we presented to our coach. The vision our president has for this club. With this vision, we managed to attract the best coach in football history. The first coach to win three different UEFA competitions has come to Fenerbahçe. I think you should focus on this. I thank our president and our coach.

“I WANT TO BE CHAMPIONS IN MAY”

I want to be champions in May, not during the transfer window. We did well in transfers last year. I may be biased, but I think our success rate is good. I thank the president, the management, and our scouts. I don’t believe in revolutions in sports. We did a good job last year; the team performed well statistically, but we have many areas to improve, and we will do it.

“I THINK WE CAN ENTER THE MARKET AS MOURINHO WANTS”

We know the transfer profiles Jose Mourinho wants. We know the suitable names for the players our coach wants in the market. We are going through an election period. We are ready to work at full speed starting next Monday. It will be a challenging summer. EURO 2024, players on leave, early qualifying matches… The Champions League is a big goal. We need to be dynamic and flexible in our market approach. I thank the president; I think we can enter the market as Mourinho wants.

“THERE ARE COUNTRIES IN EUROPE SMALLER THAN FENERBAHÇE”

I sent a huge dossier to Jose Mourinho. Many people in Samandıra help us in this operation. Sometimes you focus on the negative side. The focus should be on ‘The Special One is at the world’s biggest sports club.’ I told Jose Mourinho, ‘You will have a country behind you, not just a team.’ Portugal’s population is 10 million; Fenerbahçe has 35 million fans! There are countries in Europe smaller than Fenerbahçe.

“THE HARD PART IS WINNING CONSECUTIVELY”

We need to bring in players with a winning habit. If we combine this parameter with young players, it will be great. At a big club like Fenerbahçe, winning once is easy; we want to win consecutively, and that is the hard part. Dealing with constantly changing regulations is not easy. Next season will be my third, and the foreign player rule will have changed for the third time. As I mentioned, we need to be dynamic.”