Man Utd outcast and Son among five that could join Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce
Jose Mourinho in the Super Lig. What could go wrong? Here are five players who could swap the Premier League for the impending Fenerbahce soap opera…
Armando Broja (Chelsea)
Profit and Sustainability rules (and the concept of a pure profit sale) have become increasingly fixed in modern-day football in recent years, with Chelsea likely to be more impacted than most Premier League clubs by these regulations this summer.
Todd Boehly and his goons at Stamford Bridge have not-too-masterfully spunked around £1bn in transfers since taking over in 2022. Despite exploiting financial loopholes with unique seven-plus-year player contracts, they are still at risk of a points deduction/transfer ban.
To reduce the severity of their potential sanctions, Chelsea are reportedly prepared to sanction a couple of pure profit sales, with homegrown attacker Broja a candidate to join Conor Gallagher and/or Trevoh Chalobah in leaving.
Still only 22, Broja saw his progress hampered by a serious knee injury after his promising loan spell at Southampton in 2021/22.
Thanks to the remarkable form of Rodrigo Muniz, Broja was reduced to being a bit-part player for Fulham during his loan stint at Craven Cottage during the second half of this season.
This pointless loan leaves Broja in an increasing state of limbo this summer and with Nicolas Jackson firmly placed ahead of him in the pecking order, the Albania international could do with finding a new home and a switch to Fenerbahce with Mourinho certainly feels feasible.
Victor Lindelof (Manchester United)
One of Mourinho’s first signings as Man Utd boss, Lindelof has been blighted by injuries during his time at Old Trafford, but his versatility has been useful this season with Erik ten Hag growing more desperate while lacking a natural left-back for much of this season.
Despite regularly being criticised and being linked with a move elsewhere throughout recent transfer windows, Lindelof has managed to stick around at Man Utd long enough to see out a seventh season at Old Trafford, in which he has surpassed 250 appearances for the club across all competitions.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Old Trafford recruitment team have a squad overhaul on their minds following a miserable season and with Lindelof’s contract due to expire in 2025, this summer will likely be their last opportunity to cash in on the Sweden international if they wish (as they presumably do) to usher him out of the door.
As it was Mourinho who brought Lindelof to Man Utd, it would hardly be a surprise if the Portuguese manager opted to raid his former club for a low-cost signing of one of his favoured former players.
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Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Lukaku is – if one of Fenerbahce’s presidential candidates is to be believed – one of three players already being targeted by Mourinho ahead of what will inevitably be a busy summer transfer window.
Boehly and Co. have made 17 mistakes since taking over at Chelsea, but it’s worth remembering that errors were made during the previous regime. I mean, paying £97.5m for Lukaku? What were they thinking?
Chelsea have had two goes at the Lukaku marriage and it’s been cursed in each stint, so a long-overdue admission of defeat is on the cards, with the club expected to cash in for a significantly reduced fee this summer.
With his price tag reportedly around £20m, Lukaku is not out of Fenerbahce’s price range and the Belgium international is coming off two successful loan seasons in Serie A, with the second largely being spent with Mourinho at Roma. It would be a shock if the new Fenerbahce boss had not already been on the phone with the striker.
📣TO THE COMMENTS! Will Jose Mourinho be a success at Fenerbahce? Join the debate here
Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Mourinho’s ill-fated spell at Spurs felt doomed to fail from the get-go given how the club operates under Daniel Levy, with Antonio Conte and now Ange Postecoglou learning that the club is a dumpster fire.
Tottenham could have at least given Mourinho a couple more days in the dugout so the serial winner had a crack at the Carabao Cup final. But alas, Spurs will be Spurs.
Mourinho at Spurs did prove to be a thumbs-down, but his ugly exit did come after some sparks of life and he did bring the best out of front two Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.
Son, who played the most minutes of any Spurs player under Mourinho, grabbed 29 goals and 25 assists in a prolific 70-game stint while working under the brash manager.
The 31-year-old has just completed another season in which he’s recorded double figures for goals and assists in the Premier League. Yet, his all-round play is on the decline and our beloved Tickers (who is F365’s in-house Spurs man, for his sins) reckons Son should call time on his Spurs career this summer.
Son is in the same situation as Kane last year, with the South Korea international set to enter the final year of his contract. His hopes of securing a deserved move to an elite European club have been and gone, but a fresh challenge in Turkey and a reunion with Mourinho could be accepted as the Ange-ball revolution moves on without him.
Willian (Fulham)
It seemed the Brazil international’s miserable spell at Arsenal would prove the end of his time as a Premier League player, but he has proven a lot of people wrong since completing a surprise move to Fulham in 2022.
The 35-year-old has mucked in to boost a solid but unremarkable Fulham side who have surpassed expectations to avoid relegation with ease in two successive seasons.
Making 67 appearances for Fulham in two seasons (via a lucky escape in swerving a move to the Saudi Pro League last summer), the experienced attacking midfielder has showcased that he still has a bit more to give.
Like last summer, Willian is set to be out of contract as his one-year deal with Fulham nears a conclusion and he’s admitted that he would be “open to hearing about opportunities” to move on. Having worked with Mourinho at Chelsea, a pre-retirement swansong for Willian in the Champions League with Fenerbahce could prove too tantalising an opportunity to miss.
