Turkish Super League "Manchester United Manager Derby": Solskjaer vs. Mourinho

The reporter reported coldly For Manchester United fans, this is mixed news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will become the manager of the Turkish Super League giants Besiktas, which means that the Turkish Super League is about to stage a "Manchester United Derby", because Besiktas's city rival Fenerbahce manager is none other than Jose Mourinho, who replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United in December 2018.

This is the Norwegian coach's return to coaching after more than three years of absence after being sacked by Manchester United in November 2021. He was widely regarded as the favourite to take charge of the new Wolves boss when he appeared at Wolves' home stadium a month ago, but in the end, the 51-year-old, like his predecessor Jose Mourinho, chose to venture into the unfamiliar side of Turkey. Watching Wolves play Ipswich Town live, it was later confirmed that the Norwegian was just bringing his son, who is an Ipswich City fan, to experience the atmosphere and visit his former subordinate McKenna, who is now the Ipswich Town manager.

After leaving Manchester United more than three years ago, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no shortage of coaching offers. In addition to Brighton, Burnley and other mid-to-lower Premier League teams, he also entered the squad for the selection of League 1 powerhouse Club Brugge last year. In addition, Iran, Sweden, Ireland, Canada and Norway have also invited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he has declined for "lack of preparation". The Norwegian has also received two offers from Saudi Arabia, but he has insisted on a return to major European leagues to prove his quality.

In fact, as early as the end of 2023, the Turkish giants have listed the Norwegian as the first choice for firefighting coaches. At that time, Turkey's legendary veteran coach Güneş was out of class, and the follow-up coach was unable to lead the team to rebound, and Besiktas was once as many as 17 points away from the top of the table. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not accept it at the time, and Besiktas opted for former Portugal boss Santos. Last year, Silbesiktas invited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer again but was unable to do so, opting for Van Bronckhorst. After the Dutch coach left at the end of November last year, Besiktas decided to "look twice" and bring on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer again, and this time their sincerity finally impressed the Norwegian.

Fabrizio Romano, a well-known transfer expert, revealed: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his agent Solbakken have arrived in Turkey on the 17th. Besiktas have offered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer an 18-month contract, and Solskjaer will watch Besiktas' home league game against Samsun Sportor this Saturday, and will make his debut next week at home to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League round 7 on 25 January. The Norwegian's goal for the season is to bring Besiktas to at least the European places, with 18 games to go and are as many as 20 points behind leaders Galatasaray, 12 points behind Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce and six points from Samsson Sport in third-placed Europa League qualification. Of course, Besiktas can also win the cup and qualify for next season's Europa League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the second former Manchester United manager to take charge of a Turkish Super League side after Jose Mourinho. He is also the first Norwegian and Nordic coach in Besiktas' history, and the first foreign coach to coach with a Premier League coach resume since Tigana in 2005. Of course, more attention is paid to his rivalry with Jose Mourinho. However, Mourinho's annual salary at Fenerbahce is as high as 12 million euros, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only has 1.5 million euros. The duo's achievements in the next four months will become one of the hottest football topics in Turkey. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take the team away to Jose Mourinho's side on 4 May, the only direct confrontation he has confirmed against Jose Mourinho so far this season.