Football truly knows how to surprise people sometimes.
When I saw the news that AS Monaco had reached an agreement to appoint Filipe Luis as their new head coach today, I had to read it twice and it just felt unexpected. I mean, we all know him as that calm and experienced defender from his Chelsea and Atlético Madrid days, and a good coach at Brazil league with Flamengo, but now seeing him take on such a big coaching role in Europe feels like the begin of something completely different.
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The deal is already agreed according to Fabrizio Romano and the contract will run until 2028. That alone tells me Monaco is not just looking for a temporary manager and they clearly believe in whatever vision Filipe Luis has.
What I find most interesting is how divided people already seem about the appointment. Some think he’s still too inexperienced even after doing a good job at Brazilian league while coaching there. while others believe former intelligent players usually become good managers because they already understand the tactical side of football. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle because coaching is a totally different pressure compared to playing.
Still, if you watched Filipe Luis during his playing days and when he was a coach in Brazil league, you could always tell he was one of those players who read the game really well. He always looked composed, rarely panicked, and seemed to understand positioning better than most defenders around him. Sometimes those little things end up helping former players become successful coaches later on.
I also think this move shows Monaco is willing to take a risk instead of going for the usual safe option. And honestly, football can become boring when clubs keep recycling the same managers every season. Sometimes fresh ideas are exactly what a team needs to get back to the top again and I think they have made a good decision.
Of course, things won’t magically become easy for him. Ligue 1 is getting tougher every year even though the league is still dominated by PSG, and Monaco fans will expect results almost immediately. One bad run of games and the pressure will already start building pressure and that’s just how football works now.
But on the other hand, there is something exciting about watching a new manager try to build his own identity. Every successful coach had to start somewhere, and maybe this will be the opportunity that truly launches Filipe Luis into the next stage of his football career.
I’m genuinely curious to see how this turns out because moves like this can either become a masterstroke or a complete disaster. That uncertainty is honestly part of what makes football so interesting. Even though, I still believe and have a feelings that things will work out because of his experience while coaching Flamengo at Brazil league.
