The search for a new coach at Grêmio has suffered its first setback. Tite, president Alberto Guerra’s favored choice, will not take the reins of the club in 2025. This was confirmed by agent Gilmar Veloz in conversation with CP on Tuesday afternoon, who said Tite had been contacted by the Tricolor but will not work in Brazilian football during the first half of the coming season. The 63-year-old coach’s priority is to travel abroad, where he has received requests from Europe and Saudi Arabia.
Tite has been out of work since last September, when he was dismissed from his role at Flamengo. Early in his career, he won the Copa do Brasil with Grêmio in 2001 – also winning the Campeonato Gaúcho that same year. This spell at Olímpico raised his national profile, reaching its peak with club victories in 2012, when he won the Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup. From 2016 to 2022, he led the Brazilian national team and was present at the World Cups in Russia and Qatar.
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With Tite’s refusal, the name of Hernán Crespo gains traction behind the scenes of the Tricolor. The 49-year-old Argentine is available after being sent back from Al Ain to the United Arab Emirates last November, where he won the 2023/24 AFC Champions League.
Crespo’s return to Brazilian football would come as no surprise to the former striker, as he won the Copa Sudamericana with Defensa y Justicia in 2021 before being signed by São Paulo, where he won the Campeonato Paulista. He was fired in October of that year.
Also in the race, although less prominent, is Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha. The 54-year-old Beja native is available after being released by Bragantino in October. He had been with Massa Bruta since December 2022, having overseen 124 matches, with 50 wins, 38 draws and 36 defeats, achieving a success rate of 50.5%. In 2023, he led the club to its best ever ranking in the Brasileirão, achieving sixth place.
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In addition to looking for a new coach, Grêmio is also considering new members for its technical staff. Yesterday morning, the club confirmed the dismissal of fitness coaches Mário Pereira and Gabriel Gindri Alves, as well as goalkeeping coaches Mauri Lima and Enio Oliveira.
In this context, physical trainer Rogério Dias and goalkeeper coach Daniel Pavan are being considered for positions within the Grêmio technical staff for the coming season. Dias previously worked at the Arena from 2015 to 2021, contributing to the club’s Copa do Brasil (2016) and Copa Libertadores (2017) titles. His last club was Al Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Pavan had a long stint at Inter, where he was part of the permanent technical staff from 2011 to 2022.
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All these decisions should be taken only after the announcement of the new vice-president of football, to fill the position left vacant by Antônio Brum, who announced his departure during a press conference last Monday. The main candidate for this position is Luciano Feldens, currently vice-president of the board of directors.
