Monaco have their new head coach: Filipe Luis lands on the Rock
AS Monaco did not hang about. Just hours after confirming the split with Sebastien Pocognoli, the Principality club had already lined up his replacement. According to Fabrizio Romano, an agreement has been reached with Filipe Luis, 40, the former Atletico Madrid and Brazil left-back. The Brazilian coach, who has been out of work since being sacked by Flamengo in March, is expected to sign a deal running until 2028 on the Rock.
Pocognoli, brought in last October to replace Adi Hutter, has paid the price for a disappointing season that ended with Monaco down in seventh in Ligue 1. The 38-year-old was under contract until 2027 and wanted to stay, but the Monaco hierarchy have decided to move on. Club bosses want to start a new cycle and have judged that Pocognoli was not the man to drive it forward.
Filipe Luis arrives in Monaco for his first coaching role in Europe. His exit from Flamengo caused a stir in Brazil: the Rio club dismissed him in March after learning he had been talking to BlueCo, the group that owns Chelsea, at the same time. It damaged his reputation back home, but it clearly has not cooled Monaco’s interest in him.
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A strong record already, despite his age
At just 40, Filipe Luis already boasts a serious record in the dugout. In 100 games in charge of Flamengo, he claimed the Brazilian league and Copa Libertadores double in 2025, along with two state titles and the Brazilian Super Cup. Those results quickly gave him a reputation as a coach to watch, with links to clubs such as Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen, and even talk of him one day succeeding Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
In the end, Monaco have won the race for his first European job. The Brazilian, part of Jorge Mendes’ stable, knows the European game well from years spent there as a player. That should help him settle into Ligue 1, where he will now get to know the league from the touchline rather than the pitch.
The rebuild ahead of him is a significant one. Monaco have finished a mixed campaign in seventh, which at least leaves them with a route into the Conference League. Club officials are talking about a major clear-out and a fresh start. Filipe Luis arrives with a track record, a clear method and the ambition to prove in Europe that what he achieved in Brazil was no fluke.
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