Fenerbahçe began the 2024-25 Süper Lig season under a blazing spotlight, with Jose Mourinho at the helm and a roster bursting with star names.
Yet, at the end of the season, the Yellow Canaries are once again grounded, watching rivals Galatasaray lift a record-extending 25th title while their own title drought stretches into a 12th year.
The summer of 2024 promised a new dawn.
Club president Ali Koç pulled every string, investing heavily in a glittering squad and appointing Mourinho – one of the game’s most decorated coaches, to finally deliver the Süper Lig championship.
The atmosphere around Kadıköy was electric.
The arrivals of marquee names like Edin Dzeko and Fred from the previous season, Youssef En-Nesyri and Anderson Talisca set the stage for what many believed would be a season to remember.
Instead, it became another nightmare.
Despite boasting a lineup packed with European pedigree, Fenerbahçe failed to meet the lofty expectations.
Edin Dzeko, the 38-year-old Bosnian forward who had defied age with 21 goals in 2023-24, continued to score in flashes but was often outpaced in high-intensity matches.
Youssef En-Nesyri, a 20 million euro ($22.6 million) signing from Sevilla, brought an aerial threat and scored key goals, yet never truly settled into Mourinho’s tactical plans.
By early 2025, whispers of a summer exit began to swirl.
The mid-season arrival of Anderson Talisca from Al-Nassr was meant to be the creative spark.
Instead, it ignited confusion. His presence forced tactical reshuffles that marginalized Dzeko and En-Nesyri.
Despite the excitement his signing generated, the Brazilian playmaker’s 5 million euro half-season salary strained Fenerbahçe’s finances, while his on-field impact proved inconsistent.
Fred, once of Manchester United, symbolized the club’s internal struggle. Signed to anchor the midfield, he was shackled by Mourinho’s conservative approach, rarely venturing forward.
Reports of friction between the two added to a growing sense of disarray behind the scenes, despite a brief resurgence that included a hat trick against Rizespor.
Loan moves for Sofyan Amrabat, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Milan Skriniar added depth, but little continuity.
Amrabat’s engine was dulled by fatigue, Saint-Maximin dazzled but lacked end product, and Skriniar, though a defensive upgrade, arrived too late to plug early-season gaps.
The departures of key contributors like Ferdi Kadıoğlu to Brighton and Arda Güler to Real Madrid robbed the squad of dynamism and heart.
Mourinho’s reign, announced with fireworks and declarations of passion – “This shirt is my skin,” he declared to fans – has been rocky.
His reliance on veterans and pragmatic tactics clashed with the demands of a fanbase long starved for flair and success.
The team’s average age hovered above 27, and it showed in crucial moments.
Defeats to Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, and dropped points to mid-table sides like Samsunspor, sapped momentum at critical junctures.
Though Fenerbahçe produced some of their finest football in the Europa League, including a spirited run that ended in a penalty shootout against Rangers, the domestic campaign told a different story.
April found them still in mathematical contention, trailing Galatasaray by four points, but a crushing Turkish Cup loss to their fiercest rivals reignited scrutiny over Mourinho’s tenure.
Off the pitch, the Portuguese manager remained a lightning rod.
He feuded with referees, clashed with reporters, and fanned flames with rivals, including a controversial nose-pinching gesture toward Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk.
Supporters were split: some admired the fire, others saw a coach out of step with modern football.
Güler’s ghost
Haunting the season was the name Arda Güler.
Sold to Real Madrid in July 2023 for 20 million euros, the 19-year-old playmaker blossomed into a breakout star in Spain, becoming a key figure at the Bernabeu despite few minutes under his belt.
His success only deepened the regret among Fenerbahçe fans, who saw his departure as both a financial necessity and a creative void the club failed to fill.
Güler’s trajectory stood in stark contrast to the Canaries’ decline – an emblem of what could have been.
Mixed bag
Fenerbahçe’s failure to end their title drought stems from a cocktail of missteps: tactical inflexibility, a lopsided wage bill, disrupted squad harmony, and a transfer strategy that favored aging stars over emerging talents.
Their 60.78 million euros net spend over five seasons, coupled with 76.6 million euros in debt, left little margin for error.
The sales of Güler, Kadıoğlu brought in around a lump sum, but the reinvestments never yielded cohesion or consistency.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray’s dominance underlined the gap.
With a record 102 points in 2023-24 and another strong campaign in 2024-25, they’ve become the standard-bearers.
Fenerbahçe’s own 99-point season a year ago, once a glimmer of hope, now feels like a false dawn.
As the curtain falls on a season of squandered promise, Fenerbahçe must reflect and reset.
Whether Mourinho stays or goes, the club’s path forward must include a commitment to youth, smarter spending, and tactical evolution.
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