Pedro Junio: Advanced Artur Jorge talks, Cruzeiro under pressure

In partnership with

Deus me Dibre

·19 de marzo de 2026

Pedro Junio: Advanced Artur Jorge talks, Cruzeiro under pressure

Cruzeiro is very close to announcing a new coach for the remainder of the season. This Thursday (19), the club's vice-president, Pedro Junio, confirmed that negotiations with coach Artur Jorge are at an advanced stage.

The official spoke before the group stage draw of the Copa Libertadores, held in Luque, Paraguay, and expressed optimism for a quick conclusion. The 54-year-old Portuguese coach still has a contract with Al Rayyan but is close to being officially named as Tite's replacement.

OneFootball Videos

In an interview with GETV, Pedro Junio also addressed the club's delicate situation in the Brazilian Championship Serie A, where the team is in last place, with only three points from seven rounds and still without a win.

Regarding internal pressure, the official was straightforward and also described as "out of context" the criticism directed at players William and Fagner, who were filmed alongside Athletico's coach, Odair Hellmann, in a relaxed atmosphere after another defeat:

"We have very strong internal pressure from both the squad, the coaching staff, and the management. We are very uncomfortable with the situation in the Brazilian Championship and have an opportunity to start recovering on Sunday against Santos, the focus is total. We have internal pressure. Yesterday's incident was taken out of context, it does not represent what the athletes stand for, they are all dissatisfied with the situation, they know the responsibility and are doing their best to get out of this situation."

He then detailed the progress of the negotiations with Artur Jorge:

"Not yet (as closed), but very well underway. We are exchanging documents, but we are very hopeful to announce him as soon as possible so he can be there over the weekend to watch the game against Santos. The entire football department conducted the negotiation, with Spindel and Joaquin, and Artur Jorge has always been our first choice, we managed to close and we are very happy and hope he arrives and develops the football that the fans deserve."

Finally, Pedro Junio commented on the possibility of reinforcements, highlighting that the topic has not yet been discussed with the new coach, especially since the international window is closed:

"We haven't talked about reinforcements at any time. He has all our squad data and since the international window is closed, we haven't even considered reinforcements. He will arrive and analyze the entire squad and we will see the need together with the coach to make a decisive window if he sees the need."

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