Fluminense close to deal with former São Paulo manager

Fluminense is close to finalizing the hiring of coach Luís Zubeldía, who has been without a club since leaving São Paulo in June.

The agreement is already underway and the signing depends only on final details, according to ge.

While the negotiation is not concluded, the permanent assistant Marcão will be responsible for leading the team in the classic against Botafogo this Sunday (28). The expectation is that the Argentine will arrive in Rio de Janeiro next weekend to finalize the process.

The coach divided opinions due to his caution in launching young players from the youth academy, something that could put him in a difficult position with the tricolor fans, who strongly demand the use of Xerém's talents in the professional team.

If confirmed, Zubeldía will be the first foreign coach of Fluminense in almost 30 years – the last was the Uruguayan Hugo de León in 1997. Before closing with Renato Gaúcho, the management had tried to hire Gabriel Milito, but the Argentine declined the offer.

At São Paulo, Zubeldía took over in April 2024 and had an exciting start, achieving 13 unbeaten games. In the Libertadores, he led the team undefeated to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated on penalties by Botafogo, the future champion. They also fell at the same stage in the Copa do Brasil against Atlético-MG.

Explosive on the sidelines, Zubeldía also collected cards and suspensions while at São Paulo.

Despite the good campaign, the performance declined towards the end of the 2024 Brasileirão. The team finished in sixth place after five winless games, with no major objectives left in the standings. Zubeldía left São Paulo in June 2025, after a defeat to Vasco, with a record of 85 games: 38 wins, 27 draws, and 20 losses.

During his time at Morumbi, he received inquiries from Boca Juniors and the Ecuador national team, but chose to stay at the club at the time, believing he could win the Libertadores.

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

📸 MAURO PIMENTEL - AFP or licensors