“For 2026, we will continue with the technical commission and we want Neymar”

Santos president Marcelo Teixeira publicly acknowledged the mistakes of the season and took full responsibility for the team’s performance in 2025. He stressed, however, that the structuring of the football management and the evolution of the technical commission allowed the club to react in the final stages and avoid relegation. For Marcelo Teixeira, there is no reason to celebrate as Santos should still be at the top of the table.

“I know the size and greatness of Santos. A club like Santos cannot enter the latter stages fighting against relegation. It must always compete at the top of the main national competitions,” he said.

For 2026, Teixeira evokes a more promising scenario, with continuity of the technical committee and prior planning. The reformulation of the workforce will remain a priority, as will the more organized integration of young people from the base.

“For 2026, however, the outlook is very positive: we have maintained the technical committee, consolidated a work philosophy and are already planning the next season with professionals engaged in the project,” he said.

The future of Marcelo Teixeira and Neymar

He also reported a meeting in the locker room with members of the technical commission, Alexandre Marcos, and Neymar’s father, who went to greet the players. Although the conversation did not initially focus on re-signing the striker, a meeting was agreed this week to discuss the athlete’s future. The committee informed that the medical service and the technical committee will detail Neymar’s surgical intervention and recovery schedule.

“We want Neymar to stay. Our expectation and desire is that Neymar stays at Santos until the 2026 World Cup.

When reporters said the team could only react when they had Neymar on the pitch, Teixeira said the star was the difference in any team, but the other athletes had quality. Despite this, he recognized the need for adjustments in the team for 2026. He recalled that Santos had invested to integrate him and that the adaptation period was expected, despite the new clinical problem. According to the medical department, it is possible to carry out the necessary repair and maintain it for the 2026 competitions.

The president said a further reformulation would take place, as in previous years, given the need to rebalance the club following relegation in 2023. With four competitions on the 2026 calendar and a tougher state competition in January, Santos opted to postpone the pre-season in the United States to prioritize team building.

He concluded by emphasizing that 2024 was essential to consolidate the technical committee and that 2025, although it achieved the objectives, did not meet the expectations of the club and the supporters. With the continuity of the commission and immediate planning, management intends to avoid mistakes and prepare for a more competitive season in 2026.

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