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Brazilian coach top choice to take over at Bayer, journalist says
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- Brazilian coach top choice to take over at Bayer, journalist says
Brazilian coach top choice to take over at Bayer, journalist says
Filipe Luís is currently the leading favorite to become the new head coach of Bayer 04 Leverkusen !
That was reported this Wednesday (27) by Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany.
According to the journalist, negotiations between the German club and the coach have already begun.
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Filipe Luís has emerged as Leverkusen's top priority to replace current head coach Kasper Hjulmand.
Although the club has concrete "Plan B" and "Plan C" options on its shortlist, the Brazilian is the main target at the moment.
Bayer Leverkusen's strategy is to officially announce Hjulmand's departure only once the deal with his successor is fully completed.
Under Hjulmand, Bayer finished the Bundesliga in sixth place with 59 points, securing a spot in next season's Europa League.
The club has right-back Arthur in its squad, who returned to action in the final stretch of the Bundesliga after recovering from an ankle injury.
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Filipe Luís' career
Filipe Luís began his coaching career at Flamengo and rose at a meteoric pace.
After making his mark as a left-back for Atlético de Madrid , Chelsea , and Flamengo itself, the former player began his journey on the touchline in March 2024, shortly after retiring from playing, taking over the club's under-17 team and winning the Copa Rio with Flamengo.
Three months later, he was promoted to the under-20 side, where he won the club world title in that age group.
On September 30, 2024, he was announced as head coach of the senior team to replace Tite.
The impact was immediate, resulting in that year's Copa do Brasil title.
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His crowning achievement came in 2025, with a perfect year in which the club piled up trophies in the Supercopa do Brasil, Campeonato Carioca, Copa Libertadores, and Campeonato Brasileiro.
Under his command, Flamengo also reached the Intercontinental final, losing the title to PSG on penalties.
During his time with the senior team, Filipe Luís reached impressive milestones that place him in the club's history:
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Matches: 101
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Win rate: 69.9% (63 wins, 23 draws, and 15 losses)
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Titles: 5 (2024 Copa do Brasil, 2025 Supercopa, 2025 Carioca, 2025 Libertadores, and 2025 Brasileirão).
With this trophy haul, he left the role as the second-most successful coach in Flamengo's history, tied with Jorge Jesus and Flávio Costa.
Although he had faced moments of instability due to poor performances in the previous season, offset by the titles, the situation changed drastically in the opening months of 2026.
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The team suffered a sharp decline physically and technically, piling up five defeats during the year and failing to build momentum.
In addition to the on-field results, the internal atmosphere deteriorated: the squad showed dissatisfaction with the coaching staff's decisions, outside criticism increased, and dialogue between the coach and the football department grew scarce, culminating in his departure.
To replace him, Fla hired Leonardo Jardim.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
