Football Season Guide

Fluminense FC

In


Jemmes (def) Mirassol; Guilherme Arana (def) Atlético MG; Lelê (att) Atlético GO - return from loan

Out


Thiago Silva (k)(def) FC Porto, POR; Manoel (sp)(def) end of contract; Luan Freitas (sp)(def) Fortaleza; Thiago Santos (sp)(def/mid) Coritiba; João Neto (sp)(att) CRB

Fluminense’s 2025 season was solid in domestic competition: they finished 5th in Série A, securing direct qualification to the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage after a strong finish to the league. In Brazilian Cup, they were eliminated in the semifinals by rivals Vasco, while their continental focus was the FIFA Club World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals with a notable win over Inter Milan. 45-years old goalkeeper Fábio was by far the team's most valuable and consistent unit, playing every single minute in Série A games. The other veteran, worldwide known centre-half Thiago Silva was a strong contribution to the team's defensive strength, too. Young Martinelli and new signing Agustin Cannobio were the other standouts on the season. Argentinean Luis Zubeldia made a massive impact on the team when he arrived around the middle of the season. No other team made more points in série A during that time than Flu. Zubeldía is known for his immediate impact on his teams (remember his good start at São Paulo), but his true challenge will be the continuation of last season's standards. Two new signings for the new season, so far: centre-half Jemmes arrives after a stellar season with the sensational Mirassol; Brazilian international Guilherme Arana arrives after a slightly down season at Atlético MG, ready to revive his career and hopefully get another call to 'Canarinha'. Savarino and Hulk have been strongly and the two would be top level addition for 2026. On the way out, the fans will be complaining about the departure of club idol Thiago Silva, but it was sort of expected, since his desire to rejoin family in Europe was public. Other than the former world class defender, no other relevant departure for the new season. Fans will wish that Fábio keeps looking young at 45, Freytes steps up to fill in the leading role of defense, Arana to recover his best years at Corinthians and Atlético MG, Martinelli and Hércules to stay at the club for the whole season, Cannobio and Serna to keep the 2025 form and strikers Cano and John Kennedy to retain the form of 2023. If this last wish proves too unrealistic, maybe Flu should get a new striker.

Target


Achieve a top-4 position is difficult, but possible. Especially if a class striker is found.