Ivo Vieira, who managed Moreirense last season, is set to become the new manager of Guimaraes.
Guimaraes, who finished above Moreirense in the Primeira Liga standing last season by virtue of head-to-head record, are without a manager after the departure of manager Luis Castro.
Castro, 57, joined Shakhtar Donetsk this week after the departure of the highly successful Paulo Fonseca, who moved to AS Roma.
With Fonseca leaving, Shakhtar were quick to pick his replacement - and showed the high regard they held for Paulo Fonseca by going down the same route again and picking another Portuguese manager from the Primeira Liga to be his successor.
They opted for Guimaraes boss Luis Castro as the man to succeed Paulo Fonseca, Castro being the primary target of English Championship club Reading earlier in the season before they eventually settled on Jose Gomes.
As his replacement, Guimaraes have opted to appoint Ivo Vieira, a logical and anticipated move after the exceptional season Ivo Vieira had with Moreirense.
Indeed, up until the last gameweek, the highly unfancied Moreirense were occupying 5th place position, sitting above heavy-favourites Guimaraes for the vast majority of the season, only slipping down to 6th on the last day of the league campaign.
With shrewd business in the market, bringing in Chiquinho from Benfica in a player exchange deal, as well as loaning in both Heriberto Tavares from the Eagles and Ivanildo Fernandes from Sporting, 43-year old Vieira assembled a team full of talent and youth and this built a platform for a quality season for Moreirense.
Indeed, it was officially Moreirense’s greatest season in history, finishing 6th in the league on a total of 52 points. And Vieira deserves a huge amount of credit for such a feat.
He managed to instil a confidence in the side that gave them the belief that they could overcome any team, shown by some of their results this season, such as their impressive 1-1 draw against then-reigning champions Porto.
They also pushed Sporting close, only falling to a narrow 2-1 defeat, and toppled Benfica at the Luz in a shock 3-1 away victory. Ivo Vieira is undoubtedly the mastermind behind this success as they look pushed heavy favourites Guimarães all the way for that lucrative fifth spot in the Portuguese game.
Now, Vieira embarks on a new challenge, taking over the club that pipped his Moreirense side to 5th place on the final day of the season.
He will begin this adventure in a Europa League match, Guimaraes’ opponents for the second qualifying round to be determined this Wednesday.