Fenerbahçe’s head coach, Jose Mourinho, answered questions from journalists before the morning training session during the team’s camp in Austria. The Portuguese coach expressed his happiness and high motivation, despite the current challenges, and emphasized the ongoing preparations with the available players.
“I Feel More Motivated Than Ever”
“I feel very happy and motivated. I feel more motivated than ever. Of course, it’s not easy given the current circumstances. Many of our players were with their national teams. We could only start our preparations with half of the team. So, things are not easy for us, especially with the Champions League qualifiers starting in two weeks. We are doing our best with the players we have” he said.
“I Have Encountered a Beautiful Structure and Organization Here”
Mourinho highlighted the impressive structure and organization he found at Fenerbahçe. He stated that every club he worked at in his career presented a challenge. “Every club I worked at in my career was a challenge. Here, I have encountered a beautiful structure and organization. Many Portuguese coaches have worked here before. I know my responsibilities. I was welcomed very well here. The club’s conditions are excellent, and we have a great Sporting Director who has been here for two years. Our goal as a club is to respond to this passion in the best way possible and bring the expected happiness to 35 million Fenerbahçe fans” he stated.
“Our President Wants the Club to Develop”
Mourinho conveyed the message from President Ali Koç, stating that the aim is for the club to develop and not regress. “Our president has clearly delivered his message. He wants the club to develop, not to regress. Developing the club means not selling our best players, keeping them. He has given a clear message in this regard” he said.
“We Know What We Want and Need in the Transfer Market”
Speaking about transfer activities, Mourinho emphasized the importance of the adaptation period for players returning from national duty. “My top priority right now is for our players to return to their teams as soon as possible, although this won’t happen quickly; it will be step by step. Today, Szymanski and Livakovic will have their first training sessions, Çağlar Söyüncü will join the ball training for the first time. Our players from the Turkish national team are just starting their vacations today. Tadic is returning on Wednesday. The biggest challenge we face right now is this. But this is, of course, for a good reason. The Turkish national team did a great job, and that’s why we are in this situation. It’s a bit of a disappointment for me, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We know what we want and need in the transfer market. Playing the Champions League matches doesn’t help us either. The transfer market is active, and many teams won’t be playing Champions League qualifiers on the 23rd. This is a problem for us, but I believe that although we might not be in our best shape for the first match against Lugano, our fans will help us win the second match at home” he said.