Four goals, a Dutchman in the door, and the Greenwood countdown
Fenerbahçe put four past Pogon Szczecin without reply this week. A friendly, yes. But 4–0 in pre-season tells you something about the mood in camp (3) (12). Levent Mercan called the performance level across both recent matches very good (7). No one is getting carried away. But the team is clicking at exactly the right moment.
Nathan Aké explains his choice, and it says plenty
Nathan Aké did not need a hard sell. The Manchester City defender told Turkish media this week that joining Fenerbahçe was an easy decision (2). He spoke to Ederson first. Ederson told him it was a fantastic club (2) (4). That a player of Aké's pedigree walks into a room and finds his former teammate already vouching for the project is not small. It is a signal the new administration under Aziz Yıldırım can pull levers that were stuck under the old regime.
Aké is also the profile Fenerbahçe have lacked: a left-sided defender who can step into midfield, a leader on the ball. He fits.
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The Greenwood saga is almost over
Mason Greenwood is coming. Oğuz Çetin said it plainly: "Geliyor" (10) (16). The deal with Marseille, per reports, sits around €39.5 million with a €5 million championship bonus, a four-year contract worth €10 million per season. Manchester United hold a sell-on clause that could net them up to €20 million (5).
The football case is obvious. Greenwood scored 16 goals in Ligue 1 last season. He is 24. He walks into the starting eleven. But for Fenerbahçe supporters, this is not a signing you process purely through tactics. The off-pitch history is real and it is heavy. The club is betting big that the version of Greenwood who arrives is the one who has put that chapter behind him.
The squad is taking shape, but the exits matter too
Diego Carlos missed mandatory medical checks and is now the subject of a formal notary complaint, though he is expected to report (team background). Fred remains on Atlético-MG's radar, but their CEO admitted a deal is difficult because the player is under contract (6). Sofyan Amrabat has drawn interest from Real Betis (21). And Kerem Aktürkoğlu may be the subject of a major offer (11).
This is the balancing act of the Yıldırım era. Aké arrives, Greenwood follows, the camp in Austria looms with a 36-man squad. But the outs will shape the ins. Ademola Lookman waits in the wings if someone leaves (9). A surprise striker move is brewing (27). Deniz Gül is on the radar too (19) (20). The squad that starts the season will not look like the one that ended the last one.
What to watch
The Austria camp. Greenwood is expected to join it (10). Vedat Muriqi is still injured and will not (team background). Dorgeles Nene, recovering from hernia surgery, will be there. How quickly the new signings integrate, and how Mourinho sets up the first-choice eleven in the friendlies ahead, will tell you whether this overhaul has a spine or just a price tag.
