Flamengo split with Filipe Luís after 8-0, Chelsea talks key | OneFootball

The surprising decision by Flamengo to dismiss their coach, Filipe Luis, after a resounding 8-0 victory in the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca shook Brazilian football. However, in recent hours, the true reason behind the surprising decision has come to light: a parallel negotiation with Chelsea by the coach.

According to journalist Rodrigo Mattos, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, president of Flamengo, discovered that the coach had negotiated with Chelsea at the end of 2025, something that occurred alongside the coach's three-day silence during talks for his renewal at Mengao.

As added by the UOL journalist, Filipe Luis only picked up the phone to speak with the president of Mengao when he learned that Chelsea wanted to hire him for Racing de Strasbourg, a team owned by BlueCo, who also own the Blues. However, that call came too late, and thus, Mengao decided to end their relationship with the coach.

Obviously, some link the dismissal to recent defeats in the Supercopa de Brasil and the Recopa Sudamericana, against Lanús. But the truth is that the Brazilian press has already echoed the rumors of talks with Chelsea parallel to the renewal negotiations, and thus, that version is gaining more traction. In fact, the coach himself seemed to leave a farewell message after the 8-0: "Whatever happens, if I'm not here tomorrow, my love for Flamengo will always exist. I have no doubt that I have lived the best years of my life here."

Now, with Filipe Luis no longer on the bench, the leading candidate to take over as Mengao's coach is Leonardo Jardim, a Portuguese coach with a past at Cruzeiro in 2025.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.