Former Premier League star leaves Fenerbahce after Jose Mourinho made digs about his weight in mid-season bust-up
A former Premier League star has left Jose Mourinho 's Fenerbahce on the back of jibes about his weight from the Turkish side's boss.
The forward joined the Turkish giants in the summer in a loan deal from Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, teaming up with former Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United manager Mourinho.
Things started off well, with the star picking up three assists and one goal in his first five league matches for the club, but the situation turned sour quickly when he was left out of a Europa League squad.
Allan Saint-Maximin, formerly of Newcastle in the Premier League, appeared to take aim at Mourinho when he was left out of the Fenerbahce squad for their Europa League second leg clash with Rangers.
The Turkish giants were tasked with overturning a 3-1 deficit against Rangers back in March, eventually losing on penalties. Saint-Maximin, though, was left out the squad, and took to social media to express his frustrations.
Now, though, he and Mourinho have parted ways, with the 28-year-old heading back to Saudi Arabia upon the expiry of his loan deal.
'Can't thank you enough for all the love and support throughout the year,' Saint-Maximin posted on social media as he revealed the news. 'It was a beautiful but difficult experience, with issues outside football but everything is well now thank God.
'I gave my best on the pitch despite these complications and I am grateful for the continuous love and support you gave me everyday.
'Fener will always have a special place in my heart, thank you to everyone and wish you the best.'
It was also social media where he expressed his frustrations at being left out of the squad to face Rangers, posting: 'It will take more than this to defeat me. When a lie takes the elevator, the truth takes the stairs. It takes longer but it always arrives in the end. If God is with us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31.'
Mourinho, in response, mocked the post and laid bare the reasons for his exclusion, which included the player supposedly being overweight.
'I didn't know Saint-Maximin was talented in poetry,' said Mourinho. 'I'm not bad in that regard either. When a football player works well, works hard, trains every day, he is fit and can climb the stairs. He doesn't need an elevator.
'However, if a player doesn't train well, arrives late, is overweight, is not ready to play, he needs an elevator to go up. Because he gets tired quickly on the stairs.'
Remarkably, Saint-Maximin decided to have another bite at his manager after his response and rubbished the claims of his boss.
'Lies produce flowers but not fruit,' he responded. He did, though, go onto play for Mourinho again, with his last match coming in April.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Football commentator Tony Jones retires after 50-year career
The talents of the world's best footballers can often leave those watching for decades, Tony Jones has been putting them into words for audiences around the scrambles, furious bust-ups and matches played in sub-zero temperatures: the veteran TV commentator has seen it career has taken him from cub reporter at the Chester Observer to being the voice behind some of the World Cup, Premier League and FA Cup's most iconic the broadcasters he has worked for are Sky Sports, UEFA and Premier League Productions, which streams the English top flight around the now the 67-year-old from Suffolk has hung up his microphone, having ended on a high covering the UEFA Champions League final on 31 May. While many commentators forensically record the details of each match they cover, Jones does not."How many games have I commentated on? I haven't got a clue," he he does recall is his first football reporting shift: a fixture at Chester City in the came more regularly when he joined Anglia Television, ITV's station in the East of was first deployed as a TV commentator for Ipswich Town's 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 1995. For Jones, who spent 40 years living in Norwich, it has all been a blur since."I know some commentators do keep lists of the games they've covered, but I tend to park it and move on to the next one," he says."If you're prepping for Bodø/Glimt and Roma on a Thursday, and then you've got to look at Aston Villa versus Brentford on a Saturday, you can't really spend too much time dwelling on what's gone on before." Some games do live long in the memory, remembers the rush of watching Southampton striker Shane Long score the fastest goal in Premier League history - at 7.69 seconds - in April also recalls Norwich City's remarkable comeback against Middlesbrough in January 2005 as one of the most thrilling games he watched. "There are some players who make you take notice of what they can do, too," adds Jones, a Wrexham fan who moved to Lowestoft in 2021."As a Welshman, certainly Gareth Bale for his outstanding pace."I saw Messi play when he was 17 and you could see then he was an outstanding player."[Cristiano] Ronaldo always had the ability to produce big goals on big days; big occasions." Jones insists commentators are privileged to have "the best seat in the house", but one stadium holds a special place in his heart."I've always loved Goodison Park," he reveals, referencing the stadium that will no longer host senior men's football but will be the new home of Everton's women's ground's TV gantry is notorious for the precarious journey across its roof to access says: "That was an experience in its own right, but it was always such a great position to view from and the atmosphere was always special."These days, the needs of TV probably override everything else and the commentary positions will be discussed between the architects of the new stadium and the TV companies."But clearly for somewhere like Goodison, that was very different. They weren't thinking about that in the 1890s when they built that stand." Jones is less keen on the London Stadium, home of West Ham United since 2016. "It's just not really a football ground," he says. "You tend to be a long way back from the action."I wonder if West Ham will look back and regret the decision to move there. It certainly lacks the atmosphere of the old Upton Park."There have been plenty of other "strange ones" over the years, Jones says."The old Doncaster Rovers ground, Belle Vue: you had to watch from behind the goal."I might as well have been looking at a TV monitor in the studio for the value of watching the game from that angle." Sometimes getting to the ground has been the problem for him, however.A trip to Blackburn Rovers to cover their fixture against West Ham was thrown into chaos when heavy snow caused the cancellation of his flight from Norwich to the elements on the A14 instead, Jones took a call from Premier League officials."They said 'Is this game going to be on?' and I said 'Not a chance,'" he says."But when I got to Ewood Park, it was a green oasis. It was remarkable how the pitch had been cleared."They decided to play it, despite the temperature being -5C (23F)." As for his commentaries, Jones says: "I'm sure there have been numerous occasions when I've got things wrong."When the ball is bouncing around in the penalty area, there might be two or three players on the ball at the same time and you might not know who gets the final touch in."But experience tells you to buy yourself time; to just say the goal has been scored and then wait for the replay."Nothing could have prepared Jones for the challenges of working during the Covid-19 pandemic, however. Grounds were closed to fans as football limped through the end of the 2019-20 says he was fortunate to be among a select few broadcasters who could still attend matches, but that it was a "surreal" environment."It was difficult for us because we need the noise of the stadium," he explains."I'm sure for the players as well it must've been very difficult to find the same motivation that they would've had with a big crowd. "That extra 0.01% that maybe gets them over the line, that gives them the opportunity to take on a defender and beat a defender." Jones insists the role of commentator remains vital, despite the rise of influencers and YouTubers hosting watch-along hopes his work helped listeners around the world understand the value of the job."You occasionally hear people say 'I'd rather watch the game without commentary,'" he sighs. "Well, if you tried doing that I think you'd lose so much."But it is a role Jones is now preparing to walk away could not have ended his stellar career in finer fashion, though, watching Paris St-Germain thrash Inter Milan 5-0 to become champions of Europe for the first is one of many happy memories that he will hold on to in the next chapter of his life, to be spent travelling with his wife and doting on their six insists: "It's not really a job; I've always said this. "It's a fun thing to do and it's even better to be paid for it, certainly for someone who's had a love of football since a child."He is quick to stress the job is not a simple one, though, with "a lot of hard work" going into it."I've had a good career, a long career that I've enjoyed so much of, but the time is right to go on and do other things." Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Celtic Park is no retirement home as Premier League royalty hit with brutal reality check
Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel have been tempted north of the border at the twilight of the careers Celtic may have lured two Premier League legends north late in their careers. But Shay Given is adamant Parkhead is no retirement home for goalkeeping royalty. Veterans Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel both conquered English football but couldn't resist the pull of Paradise. Man City favourite Hart rediscovered his love for the game during three trophy-laden years before hanging up the gloves last summer. His successor might be 38, but Schmeichel isn't done yet. The Leicester City title-winner has signed up for a second season with the Double-winners and still looks hungry for more. While Celts continue to unearth hidden gems from across the continent, in recent years, there has been a clear strategy of choosing an experienced head between the sticks. However, Republic of Ireland icon Given has rejected the idea that Celtic Park is a graveyard for big names to wind down. Promoting next month's glamour friendly between Celtic and Newcastle United, he said: "I wouldn't say it's a place for goalkeepers at the end of their careers. "What I would say about their mindsets to come to Celtic, it's such a big club and the expectation levels are really high on the goalkeeper. "Especially with the Old Firm, I think the mindset of the goalkeeper has to be really strong because you know going over there is going to be spicy with the fans, and even here if you make a mistake, the crowd will probably let you know. "It's a position that's high-profile and it's a position where you need to have rhino skin and a strong mentality. I wouldn't say it's end-of-your-career stuff coming here, I wouldn't think that at all. "Chris Sutton came up here after winning the league with Blackburn and did some good things, it's not just goalkeepers." Schmeichel proved more than a safe pair of hands in his debut campaign. The Denmark captain's pinpoint distribution has added a new dimension to Brendan Rodgers' side, with the gaffer demanding the champions play out from the back. But there's no escaping the sting of Hampden. An uncharacteristic blunder from Schmeichel gifted Aberdeen the Scottish Cup – and ripped the Treble from the Hoops' grasp in heartbreaking fashion. Still, Given insists the battle-hardened Dane will be back stronger after a well-earned summer break. Given said: "He'll be disappointed with the final and the goal because it's a mistake, there's no point trying to dress it up any other way. "He knows himself he probably should have done better with it. It's a disappointing end to a brilliant season, because he's still won the double. "I suppose the icing on the cake would have been to get their hands on the Treble but it wasn't to be. The journey his whole career has been on, he's had knock-backs as a kid and had to go right down to Notts County and play. "He built his way back up and won the Premier League with Leicester. There's so much more positives than negatives. When you're a goalkeeper, you are either brilliant or rubbish - that's probably the mentality of some people. "We've all been there before. You have to have a strong mentality and mindset to bounce back from that. "Brendan knows him inside out and knows how to get the best out of him, get him back to peak fitness after a break in the summer, which he deserves. Sometimes it's a mental break as much as anything that the players need. "I'm sure Kasper will go away and switch off mentally as much as anything and come back refreshed." Behind every keeper, there's a goalkeeping coach. Celtic have one of the very best in Stevie Woods - even if the credit rarely comes his way. Given, 49, knows just how crucial Woods' voice will be behind the scenes, especially during a difficult patch. "He's been here a good few years and got the pedigree and experience", Given said. "He'll have seen it all, Woodsy. "He'll do brilliant sessions but sometimes it's the wee talks as a goalkeeping coach. If you do make a mistake, how do you bounce back? "Just going for a walk with a coach like Woodsy and having a chat about things is as good as diving about and making loads of saves. "It's such a specialised position. I think someone of that calibre overseeing the whole goalkeeping department is great for the club as well. "I'm sure him and Kasper will have a chat, even in the close season, so he bounces back for pre-season. These guys are in the background and they probably don't get the credit they deserve sometimes. "The manager is front and foremost but there's a team behind him as well. They deserve great credit, the unsung heroes behind the scenes. "Again, his job will be to speak to Kasper and get the best out of him, but also to say to Viljami Sinisalo, 'You've got an opportunity to play this season, you've got to push yourself to the max and compete with Kasper'. "It's all about that voice and messaging." Third-choice keeper Scott Bain packed his bags for Falkirk after seven years at Celtic Park. From the outside looking in, being paid to sit on the bench while picking up trophy after trophy might seem like a dream gig. But Given pointed out: "It's a nice job but it's not an easy job either. You're training every single day and not getting a great chance of playing. But things can happen really quickly, look at the Scottish set-up at the minute. "Goalkeepers were dropping like flies and before you know it, the kid Cieran Slicker is making his debut at Hampden Park. "At Newcastle, Loris Karius' first game was a cup final - sometimes it happens overnight. A third-choice keeper has to be training like he's playing on a Saturday, but has the disappointment of not playing. "When you don't play, it's tough mentally, it can be draining. If it was me, I wouldn't really fancy it, to be honest." A lifelong fan, Given came through the ranks at Celtic but never made a senior appearance before upping sticks for Blackburn Rovers in 1994. Asked if he was ever close to coming back to his boyhood club, he added: "I don't think I was, no. I was a bit old-school back in the day, I used to have a solicitor look after me. "I didn't really have an agent. There were different articles in newspapers but I was never really privy to it."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
The key Celtic appointment made by Brendan Rodgers who Shay Given rates highly
Premier League legend Given worked with him at Newcastle United His name is often mistaken for an A-list celebrity. And Shay Given joked his old pal Adam Sadler is going all Hollywood these days. The Celtic first-team coach - not to be confused with funnyman Adam Sandler - arrived at Parkhead in 2023 after spells with Newcastle, Manchester City and Leicester. Sadler was reunited with Brendan Rodgers at Lennoxtown, having previously worked alongside him at the King Power Stadium. But years earlier, he was Premier League legend Given's goalkeeping coach at St James' Park. And despite touching down in Glasgow for a rare visit, Given revealed he was blanked by the Geordie - although he insists the Hoops have a real gem behind the scenes. The Irishman laughed: "I know him well. I texted him today for a coffee, but he said he's moving, he's too busy for me! "He's gone all big-time now. Adam was my goalie coach at Newcastle so we go back a long way. "But even then, he wanted to do outfield coaching. He's a big Geordie and Brendan worked with him at Leicester. "I think he's brilliant with the lads, he has a nice way about him. Jovial at times but serious when he needs to be. "I think he's a brilliant coach and a great lad." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
