Sport Club Corinthians Paulista welcomed Ramón Díaz in July 2024, a move that helped them avoid a nearly inevitable relegation. Still under his management, they went on and won the 2025 Paulista Championship against their biggest rivals, Palmeiras.

His dismissal was announced a few hours after Memphis Depay publicly criticized Corinthians and its tactical approach after a 2-0 home defeat to Fluminense. The club listed a poor start of their campaign at the Série A and the Sudamericana as the reasons for this decision.

Now, the Brazilian club finds itself in an unfortunately-too-familiar situation during efforts to sign a manager ahead of their upcoming Copa Sudamericana match against Racing.

Tite was set to be the new coach

Adenor Leonardo Bacchi (Tite) is widely regarded as the most successful manager in Corinthians' history, having led the club to a series of unprecedented accomplishments. Under him, Corinthians won their first-ever Copa Libertadores title in 2012 with an unbeaten campaign, defeating Boca Juniors in the final. 

That same year, he pushed Corinthians to victory in the FIFA Club World Cup, overcoming Chelsea in the final to secure their second world title. Tite then left Corinthians to serve as the head coach of the Brazil national team from 2016 to 2022, leading them to victory in the 2019 Copa America.

Corinthians previously tried to bring Tite back as their head coach in late 2023, following his departure from the Brazil national team. At that time, Corinthians made Tite their top target, but he ultimately chose to sign with Flamengo instead, taking over the Rio de Janeiro club in October 2023. 

Now, after Ramón Díaz’s dismissal on April 17, Corinthians was set to sign Tite. Negotiations advanced rapidly and the club expected Tite to arrive and sign his contract as early as April 22. However, just as the deal was about to be finalized, Tite abruptly announced through his son’s social media an indefinite break from football due to physical and mental health concerns.

This personal decision forced both Tite and Corinthians to end talks at the last moment, leaving the club to seek alternative options after coming extremely close to securing the return of their most successful manager.

Dorival Jr. could now take over Corinthians

Dorival Jr. was recently dismissed from the Brazil national team, being their only permanent head coach since Tite. In the week following Ramón Díaz’s dismissal, Dorival Jr. quickly emerged as Corinthians’ leading candidate for the head coach position. Initial reports indicated that he had accepted the club's offer and was expected to sign a contract shortly.

However, it was then revealed that Corinthians had not yet held official meetings with Dorival, ending rumors of his signing with the team. Corinthians was then negotiating formally with Tite, but as the negotiations fell, the Brazilian club has now reportedly started to aim again for Dorival.  

As talks restart, fans and pundits are left anxious to see who will take over Corinthians next ahead of their Copa Sudamericana match against Racing Club de Montevideo on April 24, which you can watch at beIN SPORTS USA.