Bayer Leverkusen Searches for New Coach After Filipe Luís Declines

Bayer Leverkusen thought they had their man. Filipe Luís, the serial winner at Flamengo, was the first choice to take over in the BayArena dugout, with Sky reporting that the Brazilian had been identified as the preferred candidate after collecting eight trophies in three years in Rio.

But that path is closed. The Flamengo coach stays put, and with that, Leverkusen’s Plan A vanishes.

Now it’s back to the boardroom and back to “Options B and C”.

Sporting directors Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro had prepared for this scenario. The club has been heavily linked with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and AFC Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola, both of whom have declined to extend their current contracts and will be free from 1 July. Two modern, front-foot coaches, both available, both proven in Europe’s top leagues. The shortlist suddenly looks very sharp again.

Glasner’s stock rises again

If Glasner was already an attractive candidate, Wednesday night only burnished his reputation. In his farewell match with Crystal Palace, he delivered yet another European trophy, adding a second continental title to the sensational Europa League triumph he achieved with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.

Palace edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the Conference League final, a tight, tense affair that underlined Glasner’s knack for setting up teams to navigate knockout football. It was a parting gift to the Eagles and a timely reminder to potential suitors of what he brings: structure, intensity, and silverware.

Leverkusen’s hierarchy will have taken note. So will others.

Iraola, meanwhile, has enhanced his own reputation in the Premier League with Bournemouth, imprinting an aggressive, high-energy style that fits the modern elite game. With both men on the market from the start of July, Leverkusen’s “concrete options” suddenly look like prime opportunities.

Hjulmand era nears its end

For any new coach to arrive, someone has to go. At Leverkusen, that looks increasingly certain to be Kasper Hjulmand.

No official statement has been made, but inside and outside the club it is widely expected that Leverkusen will part company with the 54-year-old Dane this summer, even though his contract runs until 2027. He came in early in the season, thrust into the job after Erik ten Hag’s relationship with the sporting management, sections of the coaching staff and parts of the squad broke down at alarming speed.

Hjulmand calmed the chaos. He steadied the ship. But he never quite turned it into a vessel capable of sailing with Europe’s elite.

Leverkusen missed out on Champions League qualification, stumbled out of the DFB-Pokal in the semi-finals against Bayern, and fell to Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League. Sixth place in the Bundesliga, for a club that has invested heavily and speaks openly about competing at the very top, felt like underachievement rather than consolidation.

The performances rarely dazzled. The football often looked functional, not fluid. Several big-money signings failed to live up to their price tags, and the team never truly shook off the sense of being less than the sum of its parts.

For the board, that combination has proved unforgiving. A fresh start under a new head coach is now the plan, and the next appointment must ignite a squad that has been built for more than sixth.

Monaco join the hunt

The coaching carousel is not spinning only in Germany. In Ligue 1, AS Monaco are also preparing for change.

Sebastien Pocognoli, who took over in October, is set to lose his job after just over six months in charge. Monaco’s season unraveled at the worst possible moment, with back-to-back defeats to Lille and Strasbourg at the death costing them European qualification. For a club that expects to be a permanent fixture in continental competition, that failure bites hard.

Two ambitious clubs, two benches about to be vacated, and a small group of high-level coaches on the market.

Leverkusen and Monaco both know the next decision shapes more than a season. It could define the next era.