Liverpool target Ruben Amorim breaks silence after landing in London to hold shock talks over taking West Ham job
RUBEN AMORIM spoke for the first time after holding shock talks with West Ham.
The Sporting Lisbon manager, 39, had been tipped to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
GettyRuben Amorim broke his silence after holding talks with West Ham[/caption]
Amorim has put his club on the brink of the Portuguese league title, having already won it three years ago.
And Liverpool were tipped to make a move after seeing first choice Xabi Alonso stay with Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen.
However, it’s now emerged that Amorim is not in real contention for the Anfield hot seat.
Instead, the tactician has now emerged as West Ham’s top target to replace David Moyes.
And Amorim jetted to London on Monday for talks with the Europa Conference League kings, with reports suggesting he is eager to take charge.
He returned to Portugal in the small hours of Tuesday morning, with a crunch clash against rivals Porto on the horizon.
Upon touching down, Amorim was immediately questioned about his talks with West Ham.
He was also asked whether he would commit his future to Sporting, having led them to next month’s Portuguese Cup final too.
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But Amorim broke his silence with a three-word reply that gave little away.
Referring to his next press conference, he laughed: “See you Saturday.”
Who could replace Moyes at West Ham?
Several big names are in the mix:
Ruben Amorim (Sporting Lisbon)
Paulo Fonseca (Lille)
Christophe Galtier (Al-Duhail)
Julen Lopetegui
Hansi Flick
Should Amorim take charge at the London Stadium, he would usher in a major change of style.
He prefers to play a fluid 3-4-3 system, which features a midfield diamond with wing-backs and wide forwards tucked in closer to the striker.
It could see stars like Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Emerson thrive, with Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen also sure to shine.
But Amorim may need to dip into the market for a new centre-back and right wing-back, as well as a powerful striker in the mould of his 36-goal Sporting star Viktor Gyokeres.
Ruben Amorim’s career stats
Playing career:
Belenenses, 2003-2008: 106 games, 5 goals
Benfica, 2008-2015: 154 games, 6 goals
Braga (loan), 2011-2013: 46 games, 5 goals
Al Wakrah, 2015-2016: 14 goals, 2 games
Portugal, 2010-2014: 14 games, 0 goals
Trophies: Portuguese Cup (Braga); Primeira Liga x3, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese League Cup x5, Portuguese Super Cup (Benfica)
Managerial stats:
Casa Pia, 2018-2019: P4 W3 D0 L1
Braga, 2019-2020: P13 W10 D1 L2
Sporting, 2020-2024: P218 W155 D32 L31
Trophies: Portuguese Cup (Braga); Primeira Liga, Portuguese Cup x2, Portuguese Super Cup (Benfica)
