Jose Mourinho is on his way to Fenerbahce as the club prepares to welcome the ‘Special One’ by opening the stadium doors two hours early for his unveiling.

Fenerbahce are set to welcome a new manager in the form of Jose Mourinho, with a grand ceremony planned at the Sukru Saracoglu in front of eager fans. The former Roma boss has been without a job since January and is ready to take on the challenge in Turkey.

Mourinho’s time at Roma saw him connect with the fans like few managers have in recent years. He managed to increase the average attendance from 39,000 to 62,000 during his second full season, according to Transfermarkt. His success included winning the UEFA Europa Conference League and reaching another Europa League final. However, his failure to secure a top-four finish ultimately cost him his job.

Now, Mourinho will be taking over a Fenerbahce side that narrowly missed out on the Turkish Super Lig title, finishing just three points behind their bitter rivals Galatasaray. Despite their impressive points tally of 99, they were unable to clinch the championship.

The official handover from current manager Ismail Kartal to Mourinho will take place at 19:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Sunday evening. The contract signing will be held at Fenerbahce’s 48,000-capacity stadium.

Fenerbahce took to Twitter to express their excitement about Mourinho’s arrival, stating, “What excitement and achievements this stadium experienced. Millions of hearts beat here. And now it is preparing to be the beginning of new hope. Saracoglu is waiting for its new coach Jose Mourinho, and his great fans. The doors of our house will open at 17:00 so that our ticketed fans will not have any problems at the entrance, and can watch the signing ceremony without any problems.”

Although the club has not officially announced the deal in a statement, they posted a graphic featuring Mourinho, welcoming him to the club.

The appointment of Mourinho adds an extra layer of intensity to the already fierce rivalry between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, known as the Intercontinental Derby. These two sides represent the different halves of Istanbul and have a long-standing feud.

Mourinho is no stranger to fiery battles, having been involved in numerous confrontations throughout his coaching career. His clashes with Arsenal, particularly with their former manager Arsene Wenger, are well-documented. In 2015, Mourinho even pushed Wenger on the touchline during a match between Chelsea and Arsenal.

His time at Real Madrid also saw him engage in a heated rivalry with Barcelona, with Mourinho famously poking Tito Villanova in the eye in 2011. Trash-talking was a common occurrence during those years.

Before taking up his new role at Fenerbahce, Mourinho joined the expert panel pitchside for the UEFA Champions League final, where he witnessed his former club Real Madrid defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley. During the broadcast, he playfully claimed to have signed a Fenerbahce contract in the stands and hinted at his imminent departure.

With Mourinho’s arrival, Fenerbahce fans can expect an exciting and eventful tenure as the ‘Special One’ takes charge of their beloved club.