One of the most interesting stories of the summer is that of Flamengo's coach, Jorge Jesús. The tactician was signed by Flamengo almost one year ago, and he has turned into one of the most successful coaches in the history of the club, lifting five titles since his arrival.
The coach's antics on the sidelines tend to attract most of the attention, but his numbers should truly turn heads around. The red and black side has only lost four of its 57 games under Jesús, one of them being the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final against Liverpool. In fact, all these numbers are capped by the team's impressive streak in 2020, with 16 wins and only two draws during the past seven months.
With these numbers, it was only a matter of time before Jesús' future at the club was in question, especially when his beloved Benfica is going through some tough times. The Eagles just lost the chance to become Primeira Liga champions on Wednesday, as Porto defeated Sporting (another club previously coached by Jesús) to claim the 2019-20 crown. Now, Benfica is ready to go all in to sign Jesús, but that might not be as easy as initially planned.
The coach's options to continue his career are both interesting, and as of today, none of them are as clear as you would expect. Let's have a look at the pros and cons each option has for the talented tactician.
Scenario No.1 - Jorge Jesús stays at Flamengo
Jorge Jesús is still under contract with Flamengo, as he agreed a contract extension until June 2021. Winning virtually every tournament he has played with the red and black side makes people wonder how interested he would be in taking another project, but having players such as Rafinha and Filipe Luis joining the project may give fans a good idea on how the club wants to build a solid project for years to come, even if they need to hire veteran players such as the two mentioned above.
Unfortunately for Flamengo, this scenario does not come with its fair share of cons, and most of them have been generated this week. For starters, Jesús' passionate style on the sidelines was absent in the team's most recent games, especially after he got word of Benfica's offer, which was taken as a sign of things to come by fans. Moreover, reports of an alleged affair with a young attorney have clouded the environment around Jesús.
Despite these cons, Flamengo's president confirmed that Jorge Jesús will be back with the team next Tuesday, when the Carioca Cup celebrations come to an end.
Scenario No. 2 - Jorge Jesús goes back to Benfica
Jorge Jesús knowledge of what Benfica fans want will be key to try and lure him back to Estadio Da Luz. Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira will be facing some competition to extend his tenure in the next few weeks, and one of his campaign vows is to bring Jesús back after his stint at Flamengo, even if the Eagles have to pay over one million euros as a compensation to Flamengo.
Vieira's offer to Jesús would see the coach earning over $6.5 for the next three years, which would represent a major improvement in his current wages. Furthermore, Vieira has already thrown in a $112M budget for Jesús to hire reinforcements, so that the team can reach the KO stage of the UEFA Champions League.
If that was not enough reason for Jesús to consider his future, the offer by Benfica would also see Gerson and Bruno Henrique follow their coach's footsteps, since Jesús has named them as key to his tactics with the Brazilian outfit.
So there you have it. One of the hottest coaches in the world of football has to decide whether to leave his comfort zone or going back to the team he loves the most. Will Jesús choose to go back to Benfica, where he won ten titles in six years, or will he choose to stay in Brazil, where he has won five in twelve months?
Whatever Jorge Jesús decides, it will surely be quite the summer at the headquarters of both teams involved.
