After José Mourinho's dismissal, Fenerbahçe's choice for a new head coach remains uncertain. Although Luciano Spalletti and Ange Postecoglou have emerged as candidates, it turns out that Fenerbahçe's main target is another legend in football—Zinedine Zidane.
On August 31st, Turkish coach Ismail Kartal met with Fenerbahçe's vice-chairman. As the only local candidate, the experienced coach stated that he was ready to take over the team.
The sports director also contacted coaches such as Ange Postecoglou, Luciano Spalletti, and Domenico Tedesco to brief them on the club's situation. Among them, Spalletti explicitly declined the offer because he wanted to spend time with his family.
However, there was an unexpected development afterward: the club's management, which had accelerated the coach selection process, sat down at the negotiation table with Zidane. The French coach gave the green light to come out of retirement and take up the coaching role, and a preliminary agreement was reached between the two parties.
Once the negotiations on salary and contract details are finally completed, the 53-year-old coach may head to Turkey to manage a club again.