After dismissing coach Fábio Carille, Series B champion with Santos, the black and white board is looking for options in the market. Names like Luís Castro, formerly of Botafogo, and Renato Portaluppi, from Grêmio, were sought out by Peixe.
Santos wants to put together a competitive team when returning to Serie A. The club’s priority is Luís Castro, who was fired in September from Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, and is free on the market. This season, the Portuguese was already sought after by Flamengo and Corinthians, but there was no agreement.
Last week, the coach’s manager, Antônio Teixeira, was at the club’s CT for a meeting with the Santos leadership. Santos agreed on the salary base and contract length with the coach, but the coach’s delay in providing a definitive answer diminished Peixe’s optimism. The information about the mood of the Santos board is from the website “Uol”, in a note published in the early evening of this Thursday (28/11).
At the meeting, the parties agreed on a contract until the end of 2026 and a value of around R$2 million per month for the technical committee. However, Luís Castro has not yet given a definitive yes after two days, which leaves the club worried.
MORE: Santos: in which phase of the 2025 Copa do Brasil does the team enter?
Now, Peixe is still waiting for a response from the coach. The club treats this Tuesday (3/12) as the last day to have a concrete response on this matter. If there is no definition, the proposal will no longer be valid – according to information from “GE”.
Who can coach Santos?
In addition to Castro, Renato Portaluppi is another option. Without signaling a renewal and with a contract until the end of 2024, the coach is leaving Imortal and has no defined destination.
He is in his fourth stint as coach of Grêmio. He won two Gaúchos, in 2023 and 2024, and a Recopa Gaúcha, in 2023. In total, including all his spells with Grêmio, there are ten trophies, including five Gaúchos, two Recopas Gaúchas, a Copa do Brasil, in 2016, a Libertadores, in 2017, and a South American Recopa, in 2018.
Cuca, without a club since leaving Athletico-PR in June, is also monitored by Alvinegro Praiano. This year, the coach had a conviction for sexual abuse overturned by the Regional Court of Bern-Mittelland.
Another coach placed on the radar is the Bolivian-born Argentine Gustavo Quinteros, from Vélez Sarsfield. The board is in contact with the professional’s staff, who is 59 years old, and is considering making a proposal for him. His contract with Vélez ends at the end of December. The team he commands is the leader of the Argentine Championship.
MORE: Carille out of Santos: the club’s explanation for his departure
Why was Luís Castro fired from Al-Nassr?
The results determined the dismissal of Luís Castro. In the last six games with the coach, Al-Nassr won two, had three draws and suffered one defeat.
The 4-1 defeat in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup to Al-Hilal was also a heavy blow.
Luís Castro took control of Al-Nassr after a controversial departure from Botafogo last year. During the period, the club was leading the 2023 Brasileirão and seemed to be heading towards the title. A call from Cristiano Ronaldo would have influenced the Portuguese to accept the Arab team’s proposal.
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Santos’ last games: results
See below how Santos’ last games of the season went.
- 24/11 – Sport 2 x 1 Santos – Series B
- 17/11 – Santos 0 x 2 CRB – Series B
- 11/11 – Coritiba 0 x 2 Santos – Series B
- 02/11 – Santos 3 x 0 Vila Nova – Series B
- 28/10 – Ituano 0 x 2 Santos – Series B
What competitions will Santos play in 2025?
In 2025, Santos will compete in the Campeonato Paulista, the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
