Filipe Luís top target for German club job, says journalist | OneFootball

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.

Filipe Luís arrives with the status of the Leverkusen board’s top priority to replace current manager Kasper Hjulmand.

Although the club has concrete "Plan B" and "Plan C" options on its target list, the Brazilian is the main plan at the moment.

Bayer Leverkusen’s strategy is to officially announce Hjulmand’s departure only once the agreement with his successor is completely finalized.

Under the manager’s command, 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, who returned to action in the final stretch of the BuLi after recovering from an ankle injury.

Filipe Luís’ career

Filipe Luís began his coaching career at Flamengo and had a meteoric rise.

After making history as a left-back for Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea, and Flamengo itself, the former player began his journey on the sidelines in March 2024, shortly after retiring, taking charge of the U-17 team and winning the Copa Rio with Flamengo.

Three months later, he was promoted to the U-20 team, where he won the Club World Cup title in that age group.

On September 30, 2024, he was announced as head coach of the first team to replace Tite.

The impact was immediate, resulting in that year’s Copa do Brasil title.

His crowning achievement came in 2025, with a perfect year in which the club piled up the trophies in the Supercopa do Brasil, the Campeonato Carioca, the Libertadores, and the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Under his command, Rubro-Negro also reached the Intercontinental final, losing the title to PSG on penalties.

During his spell with the senior team, Filipe Luís achieved impressive numbers that place him in the club’s history:

With this trophy haul, he left the position 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 scenario changed drastically in the first months of 2026.

The team suffered a sharp decline physically and technically, accumulating five defeats during the year and failing to build momentum.

In addition to the results on the field, the internal environment deteriorated: the squad showed dissatisfaction with the coaching staff’s decisions, outside criticism increased, and communication between the coach and the football board became scarce, culminating in his departure.

To replace the coach, Fla hired Leonardo Jardim.

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

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2026 Getty Images