Cardiff City turn to 48-year-old as managerial hunt continues | OneFootball

Cardiff City are in discussions with Chaves boss Vitor Campelos as they look to appoint their new head coach ahead of next season.

Who is Vitor Campelos?

The 48-year-old Portuguese coach is unlikely to be known by many in Britain, as the majority of his coaching roles have been in his home country, whilst he’s also had stints in Saudi Arabia.

However, he has impressed in his current role, with Campelos guiding Chaves to promotion to the Portuguese top-flight last season via a play-off.

And, their return to the Primeira Liga has been a memorable one, as the team finished seventh in the table, which meant they just missed out on European football, even though they have a small budget in the division. They also beat champions Benfica earlier in the year, but couldn’t secure a Europa Conference League spot.

So, it has been a fantastic year for Campelos and Chaves, and it appears his work with the club has not gone unnoticed.

That’s after media outlet Record stated that he has held talks with Bluebirds chairman Mehmet Dalman, and that he could be offered the job once owner Vincent Tan approves.

Campelos has made it clear that he wanted to work abroad, so he is believed to be keen on the challenge of helping the Welsh side, who were in a relegation fight last season.

Sabri Lamouchi was the man who kept Cardiff in the division, but it was revealed that he would not be offered a longer deal after his short-term contract had expired.

Cardiff need to make an appointment quickly

This would be a bold decision from Cardiff in the sense that most of Campelos’ managerial experience is in Portugal, and, even then, he has been in the lower leagues. So, it’s a risk, but you also have to recognise the fact he has worked his way up, and the job he has done with Chaves over the past 18 months or so has been extremely impressive.

Clearly, he feels ready for a new challenge, and it should excite the fans that they would be getting someone who is desperate to prove himself in the English leagues, as opposed to another manager who has had many different jobs already at this level.

The report indicates this is at an advanced stage, with Vincent Tan now needing to sign off on it. So, it will be interesting to see if it happens, but Cardiff need to make a decision quickly as they’re ready to embark on a very busy summer.