West Ham have held talks with Ruben Amorim in a sensational bid to bring Liverpool’s more sensible managerial target to east London.
The Sporting Lisbon head coach was one of the favourites to update Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. But hoping David Moyes will leave West Ham when his contract expires this summer, Amorim and his representatives travelled to London for exploratory talks.
Chief technology officer Tim Steidten is leading the search for a successor and hopes to have further talks with Amorim, who travelled to England after giving his Sporting players a few days off.
The 39-year-old has one of the most admired coaches on the continent, but he is unsure of his future.
Since Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso declared himself out of Liverpool’s bid in March, he has been regarded as the first Reds pick to take over.
But it’s unclear whether the company’s interest from a Premier League rival could force Liverpool’s decision as they take their time locating Klopp’s replacement.
It’s been 12 and a half weeks since the German’s explosive announcement that he would step down after nearly a decade at Anfield. And as we approach a summer in which several European giants, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich, will also appoint a new boss, tensions are rising.
West Ham have turned their attention to Julen Lopetegui, who left Wolves on the eve of the season, as they plan their lives after Moyes.
The Scot, who last season gave the club its first major trophy in 43 years, said in February that he had been presented with a new contract but wanted to wait and see how his crusade went before signing. compromise.
Since then, West Ham have been knocked out of the Europa League and have noticed their chances of qualifying for the festival next season fading. Fans have also begun to voice their grievances about Moyes’ taste of conservative play.
And after Sunday’s 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, the former Manchester United manager admitted his team’s performance was “so bad I can put it into words”.
West Ham host Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime as they look to qualify for Europe for the fourth straight season.
In 2021, Amorim guided Sporting to its first league name in 19 years and lately there are 10 transparent issues regarding its neighbour Benfica. Earlier this month, he said that if Sporting failed to win the name, he would resign. But he didn’t go into his summer plans, admitting, “I can’t say for sure [I’ll stay].
“I gave my word and I can’t back down. If we don’t win titles, I’ll leave Sporting. It was transparent from the beginning that the bet I make on the players. We have to win titles.
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