Turkey part company with Vincenzo Montella as Arda Turan emerges as successor candidate

The Turkey Football Federation has ended Vincenzo Montella’s time as manager after a poor run of results in the Nations League, with former Turkey international Arda Turan reported to be among the leading candidates to replace him.

The decision was announced on Friday following Turkey’s defeat in all four of their matches during the latest international break. They lost twice to Italy and were also beaten by France and Belgium.

A statement from the Turkey Football Federation said: “It has been decided not to continue with the coach of our senior national team, Mr Vincenzo Montella.”

Montella took charge in September 2023 and guided Turkey to Euro 2024, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing 2-1 to the Netherlands.

That run equalled Turkey’s best performance at the European Championship, matching their appearance in the last eight at Euro 2000.

The Italian also helped Turkey return to the World Cup for the third time in their history this summer. However, their campaign ended in the group stage after they finished bottom of a section containing the United States, Australia and Paraguay.

According to the Italian press, Arda Turan is one of the leading contenders to take over from Montella as head coach of the national team.