Botafogo is preparing for the departure of coach Artur Jorge, who has a million-dollar proposal from Al-Rayyan, from Qatar. John Textor’s SAF monitors possible replacements and one of them is Sérgio Conceição, formerly of Porto.
The 50-year-old coach has been without a club since leaving Porto in June after seven seasons at the club. He won the title of best coach in the Portuguese League three times, in the 2017/18, 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons. Glorioso’s interest in the coach was announced by journalist Wellington Arruda, on the “Panorama Botafoguense” channel.
Between July and November, Conceição was approached by Corinthians, but negotiations did not progress and Timão renewed Ramón Díaz. Inter also consulted the coach.
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Who is Sérgio Conceição?
Sérgio Conceição was born in Coimbra, on November 15, 1974. He was a professional football player and played as a winger for several Portuguese and Italian football clubs, such as Porto, Inter Milan and Palermo. He said goodbye to the pitch at PAOK, in the 2009/10 season, and began his coaching career.
He started as a technical assistant for Standard Liège, in Belgium, before returning to Portuguese football. In his home country, he commanded Olhanense, Académica, Braga, Vitória de Guimarães and Porto. He also had a brief spell at Nantes, in France, in 2016/17.
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Sérgio Conceição’s style as a coach
Sérgio Conceição usually applies concepts from an offensive but cautious game model. At Porto, the coach prioritized the 4-4-2 tactical scheme, with speedy wingers and full-backs with covering capacity.
One of the commander’s legacies is his focus on changing athletes’ positions on the field. In addition to Pepê, a striker who played on the left side with the coach, there was Colombian Luis Diaz, currently at Liverpool, who gained prominence with Conceição playing more advanced.
What is Sérgio Conceição’s salary?
According to the Portuguese newspaper Record, Sérgio Conceição received around 7 million euros (R$41.5 million) in Porto.
Botafogo would not have termination fine costs, as Sérgio Conceição is free on the market. It is worth noting that Glorioso should receive around two million euros (around R$12.5 million) to release Artur Jorge to Al-Rayyan.
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Clubs in Sérgio Conceição’s career
- Standard Liège (2010/11)
- Olhanense (2011 to 2012)
- Academic (2012/13 and 2013/14)
- SC Braga (2014/15)
- Vitória SC (2015/16)
- Nantes (2016/17)
- FC Porto (2017-2024)
Sérgio Conceição titles as coach
- Portuguese Championship (3x): 2017/18, 2019/20, 2021/22
- Portuguese Cup (4x): 2019/20, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24
- Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup: 2018/19, 2020/21, 2022/23
- League Cup: 2022/23
