Donetsk Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan has received an official proposal to lead the Turkish national football team. The management of Turkish football is determined to make staff changes amid a prolonged crisis of the national squad and poor results in current international tournaments.

Vincenzo Montella's Crisis and Reasons for Dismissal

Current Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella faces imminent dismissal due to a series of devastating matches. Under his leadership, the team suffered four consecutive defeats at the start of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaign, losing to France (0:1), Italy (1:4 and 1:3), and Belgium (0:3). In addition, the specialist is blamed for a poor performance at the World Cup, where the Turkish national team lost two out of three group stage matches and exited the tournament prematurely.

Turkish Football Federation Plans and Dual Roles

Local federation officials view former star midfielder Arda Turan, who earned exactly 100 caps for the national team during his playing career, as the savior of the situation. It is planned that the 39-year-old specialist will take charge in time for the November matches against Belgium (November 12) and France (November 15). Notably, the federation relies on combining positions: Turan could simultaneously manage the national team and Donetsk Shakhtar, a club he has successfully worked with since May 2025.

Contradictory Data

While Turkish and Ukrainian sports media diverge in assessing Shakhtar's willingness to let their successful coach juggle both jobs, questions remain regarding the Ukrainian club's reaction. No official statements from Donetsk's management regarding readiness to let the mentor handle parallel duties with the national team had been made as of October 2026, creating room for media speculation.

Turan's Successes at Shakhtar and Prospects

Turan's appointment to the national team looks logical given his success at the club level. In the 2025/26 season, he led Shakhtar to the Ukrainian Premier League championship gold and sensationally reached the UEFA Conference League semi-finals. Currently, the Pitmen occupy second place in the UPL standings, trailing Zhytomyr's Polissya only on additional indicators.