Slaven Bilic is reportedly attracting interest on the continent with Fenerbahce keen to appoint the Croatian manager.
According to Fotospor, the Turkish giants have turned their gaze to the West Brom boss following the resignation of caretaker manager Zeki Murat Gole at the weekend, with Fenerbahce enduring a frustrating season in the Super Lig with the Istanbul-based outfit currently sat in just seventh place.
The report also states that Fenerbahce had originally planned to approach Roger Schmidt about their vacant manager role, however, the former Bayer Leverkusen chief has recently agreed a deal to take over Eredivisie side PSV at the start of the 2020/21 season.
The interest in Bilic makes sense from Fenerbahce’s point of view, as the Baggies manager spent two seasons with Besiktas, in a period which saw the Croatian coach achieve consecutive top-three finishes in the Super Lig. He also impressed West Ham enough for the Irons to appoint their former player as their manager in the summer of 2015.
And this season has seen Bilic continue his growth as a head coach at West Brom, with the former Al-Ittihad boss greatly impressing with the Baggies as they currently sit in an automatic promotion spot in the Championship table. Yet if the Albion can claim a spot in next season’s Premier League, it is unlikely the Croatian will be interested in a return to Turkey.
Although Fenerbahce remain one of the biggest clubs in eastern Europe and would be an enticing offer for any manager who has previously coached in Turkey, managing in the Premier League is something that Bilic will surely be eager to return to after being sacked from the West Ham job in November 2017. And at West Brom, there is a strong chance the former Besiktas boss could take the Albion back to the English top-flight this year after what has been a sensational season so far.
