National Team: Jesus and Proença Talk, Pepe Could Join Coaching Staff

Pedro Proença wasted no time. As he stated upon his return to Lisbon after Portugal's disappointing World Cup campaign, he's already working on Roberto Martínez's successor to kickstart a new era for the national team.

Jorge Jesus, as A BOLA exclusively reported, is the chosen name. The Portuguese Football Federation president met with the 71-year-old coach this afternoon to iron out the details of an agreement that is very close to being finalized.

The core terms of the contract were already aligned, with the former Al Nassr coach set to sign until 2030, earning an annual salary of around 4 million euros. Negotiations primarily focused on the composition of Jesus's coaching staff.

As our newspaper reported, assistant coaches João de Deus and Fábio Jesus, fitness coach Márcio Sampaio, and analysts Rodrigo Araújo and Gil Henriques are confirmed. Former Portuguese international goalkeeper Ricardo is expected to continue as goalkeeping coach, and Ricardo Carvalho also has a strong possibility of staying on.

Even if the former central defender remains, Jorge Jesus would ideally like to bring in another former defender, a true legend of the Portuguese national team.

We're talking about Pepe, who retired after Euro 2024 and, just weeks ago, declined an offer to join José Mourinho's coaching staff at Real Madrid. Jesus believes the legacy of the player, who earned 141 caps, could be crucial in the dressing room and hopes he accepts the challenge.

All parties involved aim to finalize the agreement before the weekend.