The days of former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho paying top dollar for the finest talent on planet earth seem to be a thing of the past.
No longer a coach operating at the very top of the game, spells at more B-list clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Fenerbahce mean the legendary tactician is having to make do with an altogether lower class of footballer than he was once used to.
Fenerbahce – and the Turkish Super Lig as a whole – is home to countless big-name players who are no longer quite the same formidable force of old.
Dusan Tadic, Edin Dzeko, Filip Kostic have all ended up in Istanbul, alongside former Manchester United midfielders Fred and Sofyan Amrabat.
The Super Lig’s reputation as something of a retirement home for old-age players makes the deal which took Victor Osimhen to Fenerbahce’s arch rivals, then, even more remarkable.
Galatasaray snapped up one of the planet’s finest centre-forwards in a remarkable loan deal a week ago.
Linked with Man United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and more after firing Napoli to the Serie A title back in 2023, Osimhen’s eventual move to Turkey is less a reflection on him – still prolific in a dreadful title defence – and more of a Partenopei side who made a real mess of a long-running transfer saga.
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Former Manchester United target Victor Osimhen moves to Turkey
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis publicly demanded an eye-watering £155 million when Man United were interested.
The Red Devils, of course, would end up shifting their focus to Rasmus Hojlund instead.
As for Mourinho, his hopes of ending Fenerbahce’s 11-year wait for a domestic title will not be made any easier by the sight of Osimhen banging in the goals alongside Mauro Icardi and co down the road at Galatasaray.
Speaking to HT Sport via their official YouTube channel, Mourinho was glowing in his praise of Osimhen’s talents. The Portuguese adds that, if he was still in the dugout of a Real Madrid, a Chelsea or a Man United, he would have been all over the Nigeria international.
“Osimhen is a fantastic player,” Mourinho tells HT Sport via their official YouTube channel. “He is a player that, if I was at a club with ultra potential to pay £70, £75 million, I would buy.
“He is a fantastic player. Of course, he came in difficult circumstances. But, in the end, the circumstances don’t matter. What matters is that Galatasaray got a fantastic player.”
Jose Mourinho delivers Victor Osimhen dig
As is usually the case with Mourinho, however, he could not help but stoke the fires a little.
Speaking a week out from their first derby clash of the current campaign, Mourinho made sure to ensure the Super Lig refs are au fait with Osimhen’s tendency to hit the deck a little freely.
“I don’t have problems with Victor,” adds Mourinho, who went head-to-head with the former Lille hitman at Roma. “In fact, we have a very good relationship. But every time I play against him, I speak with him because I don’t like the way he behaves. He dives too much.
“I told him; ‘Look, you are one of the two best African players. You and (Mohamed) Salah, You cannot behave like this. He dives too much. That’s my problem with him.
“But after 10 minutes, we are fine. We have a very good relationship and for the Turkish league it’s fantastic and for Galatasaray it’s fantastic too.”
Before loaning Osimhen out to Galatasaray – a move forced by a total breakdown in relations with the Napoli chiefs – the Italian giants agreed to reduce his release clause to just £67 million, per Gianluca di Marzio.
Presuming Osimhen stands out as dramatically as he is expected to in Turkey, there will surely be no shortage of clubs rushing to trigger that clause in the summer of 2025.
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