Fenerbahçe's search for a head coach: Belözoğlu comes to the fore

Fenerbahçe failed to reach an agreement with Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao on contract terms and ended negotiations. The club management has turned its attention to former midfielder Emre Belözoğlu. Currently in charge of Kasımpaşa, Belözoğlu is a leading candidate to take over the Istanbul club.

Chairman Aziz Yıldırım met with Belözoğlu. According to reports, the two sides reached a broad agreement. A second meeting is expected within hours. Fenerbahçe's management wants to resolve the head coach issue quickly.

These developments followed the departure of İsmail Kartal. Kartal's fourth spell as head coach ended by mutual agreement on 27 October. The decision came after a 2-1 defeat to Galatasaray. Kartal had returned to the club in June on a one-year contract and had taken the team to the league phase of the Champions League for the first time in 18 years. However, inconsistent performances at home and in Europe led to the end of his tenure.

Fenerbahçe are sixth in the Süper Lig with 16 points from 10 matches, nine points behind leaders Galatasaray. In Europe, they collected two points from their first three matches and lost 6-0 away to Aston Villa. Dirk Kuyt is in temporary charge of the team and is preparing for Wednesday's match against Liverpool.

Conceicao had emerged as a candidate after talks with Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte produced no result. The 51-year-old coach left Saudi club Al-Ittihad in June. His successful spell at Porto made him seem an attractive option. The talks started positively, but disagreements arose over contract length and financial terms. Fenerbahçe wanted a one-and-a-half-year deal with an exit clause tied to the presidential election at the end of the season, while Conceicao requested a longer commitment of three and a half years. Salary expectations and his backroom staff were also sticking points. The two sides failed to reach agreement in talks mediated by Jorge Mendes.