His track record speaks for itself-so why can't Domenico Tedesco secure a new job in Germany?

There are currently more than 1,200 comments on X, and a quick scan shows that virtually every one is from a Fenerbahce fan. Tedesco was sacked by the Istanbul giants at the end of April in a shock move—just after the team's second league defeat.

The club's passionate support was sent into a frenzy, prompting President Sadettin Saran to announce just one day later that he would not stand for re-election at the weekend's ballot. The bond between Tedesco and the Fener faithful was also evident offline, at two separate airports.

The scene resembled a siege: chaos erupted both when he departed the Turkish capital and upon his arrival in Stuttgart. Supporters said goodbye in tears, and Tedesco could only reach his exit with help from police and security. 

Viewed objectively, it is clear why the traditionally passionate supporters reacted as they did. Tedesco restored success to Fener, even if it did not yet bring silverware. His record on the Bosphorus remains impressive.

On Matchday 5 of the Süper Lig, he took charge of a squad assembled at the behest of star coach José Mourinho. Tedesco remained unbeaten in his first 22 league games and, in January, delivered the Super Cup to Kadiköy for the first time in 11 years. Until his departure, the club also harboured hopes of a first league title in 12 years.

That run was even more impressive given the club's off-field turbulence. Thirteen days after his arrival, the president who had hired him, Ali Koc, was replaced by Saran. In early December, captain Mert Hakan Yandas was remanded in custody following the betting scandal that had emerged in the autumn. On top of that, Fener suffered a spate of injuries that affected more than half a dozen players.

Five difficult days proved decisive for the club's board, prompting them to sack the popular coach without warning. First, the team exited the cup in the quarter-finals after extra time against Konyaspor; then they surrendered the league title with a 3-0 derby defeat to eventual champions Galatasaray.

Tedesco was taken by surprise: "We had only just been discussing an early contract extension," he told dpa. "Now, after just our second league defeat of the season, we're parting ways. It shows how fast-paced football has become. When I started, the aim was to build something sustainable together; we wanted to do things a little differently from the way they'd been done in the past."

Matteo Guendouzi, the former Hertha player who had joined the club only in January, praised Tedesco after his departure, having previously compared him to Unai Emery: "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Coach. It was a privilege to work with such a great manager and a great person."

Despite arriving at the club only seven months ago, Tedesco has now joined his three immediate predecessors at Fener in the statistics. He, too, departed despite posting a points-per-game average of at least 2.0. José Mourinho (2.02), Ismail Kartal (2.4) and Jorge Jesus (2.23) had suffered the same fate. During his 45 competitive matches in charge, Tedesco won 26 and lost only seven, posting a career-best 2.0 points per game.

He wasted little time before taking charge of Bologna, his seventh coaching job in as many countries, and has never been out of work for more than seven months. Yet he has still to complete a second season with any club.

Tedesco's issue, if it can be called that, is that he enjoys a far better reputation abroad than he does at home in Germany. There, his time at FC Schalke 04 (July 2017 to March 2019) still counts against him, even though he finished as runners-up in the league and reached the Champions League round of 16. 

Back then, unlike at his later clubs, Tedesco's side adopted a decidedly pragmatic style. Critics derided it as "the ugliest football ever played by a team in second place". Yet observers overlooked the crucial stop he made before arriving in Gelsenkirchen, a move that shaped the career of this son of Italian parents.

Tedesco had taken charge of his first professional job less than four months earlier, at 31, stepping into a second-division side mired near the foot of the table and under immediate relegation threat. Tedesco turned it around immediately, picking up 1.82 points per game over eleven matches and guiding the club to safety. That feat still earns him legend status at Wismut.

After Schalke, he moved to Spartak Moscow, where the coronavirus pandemic cut short his stay after 20 months despite the club's desire to keep him. He then moved to RB Leipzig. In his first season there, Tedesco won the DFB-Pokal, the club's first major trophy, and reached the Europa League semi-finals. When he turned down an early contract extension, he was shown the door after just five Bundesliga matchdays.

Then there's Belgium. Tedesco took charge as national coach in 2023. In only his second game, he masterminded the nation's first win over Germany in 69 years, and it would be 16 months before the Red Devils tasted defeat under him. Their Euro 2024 performances were uninspiring, yet they exited only on a narrow margin: an own goal in the 85th minute against favourites France in the round of 16.

Such results have left many wondering why his reputation in Germany remains so modest. Italian outlets have hailed him as the perfect fit for Bologna, praising his attacking football, high pressing, and tactical adaptability.

SPOX reports that he had also received approaches from England and Germany, yet Tedesco has long harboured the ambition to coach in his parents' homeland. SSC Napoli and Atalanta Bergamo had previously been linked with the tactician. 

Giovanni Sartori finally gets his man in Tedesco. The 69-year-old Technical Director at Bologna since 2022—and in the same role at Bergamo for nearly eight years before that—has been pursuing the coach for years and re-established contact long before Tedesco's departure from Istanbul.

After a turbulent spell at Fener, Bologna's calm, supportive environment should suit him well. Founded in 1909, the club has a proud tradition and has recently made exceptional progress. In 2024, they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years, and a year later, their sensational victory in the Coppa Italia ended a 51-year title drought.

Tedesco's challenge will be significant: predecessor Vincenzo Italiano had just steered the club to a respectable eighth-place finish, narrowly missing out on European qualification. 

It is not yet clear who Tedesco will face in his debut. Some Fenerbahce supporters, still stinging from his departure, have taken to social media to request a friendly between the two clubs—a gesture that Bologna might welcome as a chance to reunite old paths with new opportunities.