Antalyaspor eyes Mourinho’s ex-assistant as new coach

ISTANBUL – Agence France-Presse

AP photo

Ambitious Turkish Super League side Antalyaspor on Jan. 3 said that the former assistant to sacked Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, Jose Manuel Ferreira de Morais, was set to sign for the club as its new coach.

The club from the Mediterranean resort is currently co-managed on a temporary basis by its star striker, the former Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o, after the departure of Yusuf Şimşek last month.

Described as the right-hand-man of Mourinho, Morais worked as assistant to his fellow Portuguese in almost all of his key assignments including at Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Along with several other of Mourinho’s loyal backroom staff, Morais left Chelsea in December after the sacking of the manager as a result of a dire first half of the season.

“In principle agreement has been reached on every issue with Morais and he will come to Turkey from England,” club vice president Hasan Ali Ceylan said in a statement quoted by the Doğan news agency.

“He has agreed with Antalyaspor in principle despite offers from several clubs,” he added. “If all the final details are agreed on then the signing ceremony will take place on Tuesday.”

Turkish media reports said Morais, 50, would meet with club president Gültekin Gencer on Jan. 4 evening to discuss a one-and-a-half year contract.

Antalyaspor was promoted to the Super League at the end of last season but its current mid-season position of eleventh is far from sufficient to satisfy the team’s lofty ambitions.

Morais had also been linked with the vacant manager’s job at Premiership side Swansea City but his chances reportedly receded in the last weeks.