Why Fenerbahce turned to Europe's youngest sporting director to break their title drought

Fenerbahce's sporting director Devin Ozek in the stands at Feyenoord last summer ANP via Getty Images Share full articleTurkish football is deeply intense. Politics, presidents, and fervent fanbases make for a heady concoction of volatility and drama. Turkish media echoes this. Istanbul’s three big teams — Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas — are the most tempestuous, with the animosity between them, meaning there are constant temptations to overhaul regimes and look for short-term fixes. Not winning the league leads to supporters and local media calling for the head of whoever they deem responsible. The greatest strain is on Fenerbahce, historically the most successful club in Turkey. They have won 28 titles but have not been champions since 2014, their longest-ever drought. In those 12 years, Galatasaray have gained ground, taking their own title haul to 26. Even though Fenerbahce beat Galatasaray, their fiercest rivals, in the Turkish Super Cup final in January, attention swiftly turned to the next challenge. They are playing catch-up in the Turkish Super Lig, sitting third and four points behind Galatasaray ahead of Sunday’s derby against Besiktas. The pressure is relentless on head coach Domenico Tedesco, president Sadettin Saran and sporting director Devin Ozek to deliver that elusive league title. Appointed last summer, Ozek, at 30, is the youngest sporting director in Europe’s major leagues. Fenerbahce is his first role as a senior sporting director, having joined from Bayer Leverkusen, where he had been assistant to Simon Rolfes. The pair formed a highly effective partnership, overseeing Leverkusen’s first-ever title-winning Bundesliga success in an unbeaten 2023-24 campaign and Xabi Alonso’s appointment as head coach. Now front of house at Fenerbahce, a club with a level of scrutiny virtually unparalleled, Ozek’s decision to move to Turkey was intriguing, particularly at his age. Across two transfer windows, Fenerbahce have recruited 18 players, with some older than the sporting director. The German was a budding young footballer in his youth. A central defender by trade, he was good, though not great; intelligent but slow and technically below-par. Ozek reached the fourth division which, in his eyes, according to sources close to him, did not feel like a fulfilling career. From the age of 12, Ozek shared a fascination with footballing structures and power chains. His idol was not a player but Bayern Munich’s general manager-turned-president, Uli Hoeness. He would sit in front of the television an hour before kick-off in the hope Hoeness would be interviewed. Ozek would play FIFA on his PlayStation but tended to quit before the season started, only wanting to buy and sell players. Recruitment and squad building was his specific love within football. At 15, he started a football camp for children, working as a coach before scouting at junior level for lower-league sides based in Munich. He stopped playing four years later and told those around him that he desired to be “the next Uli Hoeness”. In his own time, the young Ozek started writing presentations, creating spreadsheets and analytical charts that observed football’s present trajectory. He would identify, in his mind, what attributes were needed to make an effective team in the modern era and would crunch the relevant numbers before recording them on datasheets. It helped build a picture of what characteristics a squad and each position required, charting a huge volume of players and matches. The defining moment in Ozek’s early career came as he sat in front of his computer. He had been watching the television, continuing his penchant for listening to executives. On this day, Rolfes was talking about his day-to-day job of advising clubs on how to implement effective recruitment processes through data. Ozek tried his luck. He sent a hopeful email, guessing Rolfes’ email address — “info@simonrolfes, I think,” smiles one source who, like all others in this piece, spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity to protect relationships. The tone of the email was along the lines of: “Hello, my name is Devin. I’m very good. You have no one scouting in Munich. I will do it for you. Call me.” Rolfes’ assistant responded, asking for a video call. They challenged Ozek to scout the under-17 European Championships in Azerbaijan, identifying the three most talented players. Ozek went on to pick out the same trio as Rolfes, in the same order. He was given the job. Rolfes took Ozek to Leverkusen after his appointment in 2018. It signalled a short, sharp rise, transitioning from a youth scout to second in command at one of Germany’s biggest clubs, overseeing the scouting department for emerging talent. In October 2022, Alonso was appointed Leverkusen’s head coach. For three months, Ozek had been laying the groundwork for a manager change as Gerardo Seoane’s time at the club drew to a close, so when Rolfes commissioned an official search, Ozek and head of coaching Keld Bordinggaard held an extensive portfolio of targets, drawn up through a combination of live scouting and data. Alonso’s two and a half years at Leverkusen would peak when they broke Bayern Munich’s monopoly on the title, going unbeaten across a Bundesliga season and reaching the Europa League final. The Spaniard was a huge success. Rolfes and Ozek had clear guidelines when it came to a head coach. They sought a reflection of modern footballing trends, comprising athleticism, intelligent rotations between opposition defensive lines and a blend of possession and directness. Every coach on the long list was graded in a traffic-light system, with those marked with the most shades of green put on a shortlist. Alonso came out on top.  “Xabi was sacked at Real Sociedad B because they were getting relegated,” says a senior source close to the situation at the time. “For Devin, it was difficult to explain to the board that they should take Xabi when Leverkusen were in 17th place. “But because we had watched his games, we saw he had a clear philosophy. You watch Xabi’s games at the beginning of the season and then at the end, and he made every single player better. Real Sociedad’s B team were just so young that they conceded stupid goals. But he played fantastic football. We knew if we built him the right core, then this guy could be very successful.” Now the chief decision-maker, Ozek, who can speak four languages, leaned on past experiences when replacing Mourinho at Fenerbahce earlier this season. Mourinho was a big name and star — traits oft-desired in Turkey and demanded by the club’s ultra fanbase — but Fenerbahce required greater energy and dynamism from their head coach. The club’s directors, executives and president agreed, but the responsibility fell on Ozek to walk down the long corridors inside the training ground and into the head coach’s office. Despite the 33-year age gap, the pair shared a good relationship, having first been introduced when Ozek flew to Lisbon last summer to formalise plans for the season. Ozek had idolised Mourinho as a youngster and now, here he was, not only his boss but the man wielding the axe. It was a reminder of the ruthlessness senior officials required in the cut-throat world of Turkish football. Mourinho reacted as well to Ozek’s news as could be expected, and the pair still enjoy a respectable and good relationship. Tedesco’s hire was similar to that of Alonso, even if such diligence did come under initial scrutiny. The Italian-German coach won just one of his first four matches, coinciding with Fenerbahce’s presidential elections. President Ali Koc, who had hired Ozek, was defeated. In theory, losing his closest ally made Ozek vulnerable.  However, he had credit in the bank. Fenerbahce’s summer window was deemed a success, bringing in players such as Ederson, Marco Asensio, Milan Skriniar and Jhon Duran on a limited budget. Strikingly, the age profile of some players, such as Matteo Guendouzi — entering his peak at 26 — was a pleasing diversion from the perception that Turkish clubs sign only those past their prime. One particular source of satisfaction was Sidiki Cherif, secured from Angers. Fenerbahce believed they had beaten Premier League clubs to the 19-year-old’s signature. The forward has an extremely high ceiling. In some cases, including Skriniar, Asensio and Duran, Ozek’s charm and relentlessness to sign them meant they accepted lower salaries to force a move through. Asensio has spoken publicly about Ozek’s work in convincing him to join, while Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka, who worked with him at Bayer Leverkusen, remains on very good terms. Equally, Fenerbahce’s directors were happy they were proving far more efficient in raising funds through sales — six players were sold for a fee — with Ozek implementing changes within the training ground that lifted the mood. In wanting a more meritocratic approach, he increased the budget for bonuses for staff, taking money from players’ bonuses to raise the wages of workers. Ozek changed the paint of the walls inside the training ground, wanting much brighter colours. The aim was to lift the mood, boost morale and galvanise a large group of employees. It worked. For a 30-year-old arriving in a new country, Fenerbahce’s idiosyncratic, highly emotional environment could have been a huge culture shock. His wife had a baby soon after he joined, while his mother sadly passed away. This, on top of overseeing 1,500 staff, intensified the pressure around his role. Ozek was, and still is, working 20 hours a day. “He had to use all of his resilience,” says a close observer and friend. “If you go back to his childhood, his mother came from Poland, his father from Turkey and he was never rich. “His mother had been ill for a long time. In 2009, the hospital said she was going to pass away in the next six months and, five years later, they said she was going to need end-of-life care. She had more than 250 operations, with most carrying the possibility of losing her life. His brother is disabled, so Devin has always been in situations where he had to think clearly. “He is used to taking decisions fast — that’s what makes him so good.” Ozek’s experience in Turkey continues to build a certain steeliness. Fenerbahce may be cup winners, but they are third in the Super Lig — adrift of Galatasaray and, as of Saturday night, Trabzonspor — despite having lost just once. That signals there is still significant work still to be done. But if Ozek’s recruitment can help drive the club to a first title in 12 years, his stock will continue to rise. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jacob is a football reporter covering Aston Villa for The Athletic. Previously, he followed Southampton FC for The Athletic after spending three years writing about south coast football, working as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he was awarded the Football Writers' Association Student Football Writer of the Year. Follow Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell