Gremio have announced that Vanderlei Luxemburgo will be Caio Junior's successor as coach of the Porto Alegre club on a short-term contract.
The Brazilian giants announced on their official website that the widely-travelled Luxemburgo will take charge until December 31, allowing him to oversee the remainder of the club's Campeonato Gaucho campaign as well as the Campeonato Brasileiro, which begins on May 20. It is rumoured that Luxemburgo's deal is worth around R$500,000 (around £186,000).
Luxemburgo's last job was at Flamengo, where he was criticised for the style of football his team often played. Luxemburgo was adamant that good football can only come when the right players are in place, and currently only a handful of teams are able to do so.
"The only team who can play beautiful football is Santos, because they have the players to do so. The only others are Cruzeiro and Internacional. Now, Flamengo need results. When everything is ready, then we can think about providing a spectacle", the coach stated last year.
Luxemburgo will need to hold to this tenet for the time being after Gremio struggled through the group phase of the Taca Piratini (the first of two mini-tournaments that comprise the Campeonato Gaucho), finishing fourth in Group B. As a result, they must face bitter rivals Internacional in the first knockout round rather than one of the smaller names in the competition, with the winner playing either Caxias or Sao Jose in the semi-finals.
The coach himself has not won a major trophy since 2004 (the Brasileiro title with Santos) and must settle straight into the job if he is to bring success to Gremio, although he will have a little time to familiarise himself with his new surroundings as interim coach Roger Machado will be in charge for the forthcoming Gre-Nal clash.
