Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is refuting multiple reports that claim he’ll be the next Liverpool manager, saying he hasn’t even spoken with the Premier Leaguer club.
“This is the last time I’m going to talk about my future,” Amorim said, via Sky Sports. “There was no interview and certainly no agreement.”
[ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s career records, Liverpool stats ]
Sky says that Liverpool are doing background checks on candidates but have not begun speaking with any possible successors to Jurgen Klopp, who is leaving Anfield at the end of the season.
The Reds have re-hired Michael Edwards, who was the club’s sporting director and is now the chief executive of football, and has also brought in Bournemouth’s Richards Hughes.
[ MORE: Klopp speaks on Liverpool’s title push ]
Xabi Alonso was initially the favorite to replace Klopp but has said he’ll stay at Bayer Leverkusen next seasons, while the oddsmakers have also tabbed Roberto De Zerbi, Marcelo Bielsa, Julian Nagelsmann, and Julen Lopetegui as possible hirings.
That, of course, is in addition to the coveted Amorim.
Who is Ruben Amorim?
The 39-year-old Amorim earned 14 caps for Portugal during a 14-year career as a midfielder for Belenenses, Benfica, Braga, and Qatari club Al-Wakrah.
He started managing in the Portuguese third division with Casa Pia in 2018, then moving to Braga B for three months before a promotion to the first team.
A sterling 13-game run led to his hiring at Sporting Lisbon, where he’s won more than 70% of his games and could well claim his second Primera Liga at the end of this season, having led Sporting to the crown in 2020-21.
Sporting have a four-point lead on Benfica with a match-in-hand, and will have won two titles while constantly rebuilding the club.
The club sold Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Joao Palhinha, Pedro Porro, and Manuel Ugarte amongst others the past few seasons, all deals between $21 million and $64 million, while only buying two players worth more than $15 million (Coventry’s Viktor Gyokeres and Lecce’s Morten Hjulmand).
He’s thrice matched up with Premier League sides in European competition with Sporting. The club was ousted by Man city in the 2021-22 Champions League Round of 16, drawing 0-0 at the Etihad after 5-0 in Lisbon.
Last season, Sporting beat Spurs in Lisbon and drew Spurs in London before meeting Arsenal in the Round of 16. Sporting drew the first leg in Portugal and then outlasted Arsenal in the second leg via penalties.
Ruben Amorim refuses claims of Liverpool move
Here are the full quotes.
“This is the last time I’m going to talk about my future. There was no interview and certainly no agreement.
“The only thing we all want here is to be champions with Sporting, nothing will change. I’m the Sporting coach and there was no interview or agreement with any club.
“I’m just focused, as always, on representing my club. As I no longer have anything else to say…
“There will be no interviews or agreements with the Sporting coach. The matter is completely resolved, whether related to this club or another.”
