Ernesto Valverde emerges as the front-runner on Trabzonspor's managerial shortlist
With the search for a head coach continuing after the split with Fatih Tekke, reports place Ernesto Valverde at the top of Trabzonspor's list of candidates.
Trabzonspor parted company with Fatih Tekke by mutual agreement on 1 September 2026. Since then the club has fielded the team under Hüseyin Çimşir while continuing its search for a permanent head coach.
According to reports in the press, the leading candidate is Ernesto Valverde, the 62-year-old Spaniard who has worked at clubs including Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Olympiacos. Valverde is currently out of work.
The same reports place Steven Gerrard, Laurent Blanc, Raffaele Palladino, Dejan Stanković and Paulo Bento on the list as well. The salary demands of names such as Marcelino, Sérgio Conceição and Antonio Conte are cited as the main obstacle to talks.
This information has so far appeared only in the press; there is no official statement from Trabzonspor. FutbolRadar will update the story when the club makes an official announcement.
FutbolRadar's assessment: Trabzonspor travel to Konyaspor today. The result in Konya could directly affect both the board's ordering of candidates and the timetable for a decision.