Inter reportedly offers contract to Criciúma coach Eduardo Baptista, who denies any talks

Inter searching for a new coach

Brazilian club Internacional (Porto Alegre) has reportedly approached Criciúma coach Eduardo Baptista with an offer to take over the team, according to the outlet "ge". Per that source, negotiations are already underway and the club is working to close the deal as quickly as possible. The contract would reportedly run through the end of the season, with a bonus if he succeeds in helping Inter avoid relegation from Brazil's top division (Série A).

Baptista denies it

However, Eduardo Baptista himself denies having received any offer or even having been contacted at all. Speaking after Criciúma's 2-0 loss to Operário, he told reporters: "There was no contact whatsoever. I've already been linked to Sport, Remo, various teams. It's not true." He added that he doesn't deal in hypotheticals and that nothing concrete had reached him, as reported by "GZH".

Context

Internacional currently sits 18th in the Brazilian championship with 28 points — four points behind the first team outside the relegation zone. With 10 matches remaining, the club is fighting to avoid dropping to Série B. Before approaching Baptista, Inter's management, according to "ge", had reportedly been turned down by other coaches — Luís Zubeldía and Jair Ventura — while Diego Aguirre, Maurício Barbieri and Rafael Lacerda were also considered at various stages.

The 54-year-old Baptista has led Criciúma since May 2025; before that he coached Novorizontino in Série B, finishing fifth on both occasions. Under him, Criciúma currently sits 6th in Série B, though the club's form has dropped considerably in recent rounds — after leading the table through the first 19 rounds, it has posted one of the worst records of the second half of the season. During the match against Operário, fans in the stands loudly criticized the coach and called for his departure.

The two sources disagree on the state of affairs: "ge" reports the deal is progressing and could be finalized soon, while "GZH" quotes Baptista himself denying that any such deal exists. Inter's next match is scheduled for October 7 against Corinthians.