A respected former Liverpool player has told the club that replacing Jurgen Klopp with Ruben Amorim will be difficult, though sources in Portugal back TEAMtalk’s claims that the Sporting Lisbon coach is on his way to Anfield.
Liverpool are now just 30 days away from bidding an emotional farewell to Jurgen Klopp, one of their most popular managers in history. The German has transformed the club from top to bottom, winning seven titles in his nearly nine-year tenure while also leading the team to four major European finals.
With Klopp set to leave Anfield following their last Premier League game of the season at home to Wolves on May 19, the Reds hope to send their flamboyant manager out on a high note by winning their second title in as many seasons.
However, a crushing home defeat to Crystal Palace last Sunday has firmly handed three-time reigning champions Manchester City the advantage once more, and Liverpool will almost certainly need maximum points from their remaining six games to have any chance of winning the Premier League again.
However, the pressure of attempting to end his reign on a high has clearly put additional strain on the Reds in recent days; their expected elimination from the Europa League was confirmed on Thursday, with the mountain of trying to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit proving too great against Atalanta, while they have also lost their mantle of Premier League leaders following that unexpected home loss to Palace.
As a result, Klopp has been informed that his departure is causing significant ‘stress’ on his Liverpool players.
Liverpool given notice about Amorim replacing Klopp.
Behind the scenes, Reds owners FSG are working hard to find the right successor to Klopp.
That quest, led by new football CEO Michael Edwards, has already suffered a big setback, with Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso announcing his intention to remain loyal to the freshly crowned Bundesliga winners.
That has left Sporting coach Amorim as the new frontrunner to take the position, with TEAMtalk sources claiming that the 39-year-old has been handed a three-year contract to take over Anfield this summer.
Claims of Amorim’s probable hiring have also led to speculation that he wants a €100 million player as his first Liverpool signing.
However, despite speculations that Amorim’s move to Anfield is imminent, former Reds winger Steve McManaman has cautioned the club that, while the Sporting coach’s football style may suit them, he will face one major ‘problem’ if he joins the Premier League club.
“He has a really excellent reputation in Portugal. He delivered the trophy to Sporting, who are fighting for it again this year. “Sporting is a big club, but Liverpool are on another level,” McManaman remarked in an interview with the Daily Mirror.
“We all know it’s going to be a difficult job for whoever comes in but the number-crunchers, the data specialists, they’ll be doing their homework behind the scenes.”
McManaman continued, “Liverpool is in a really good spot. Except for Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Virgil [van Dijk], I believe almost everyone else is under lockdown. I don’t think the hardest thing will be the team; they’ll be around for a while. It’ll be difficult to replace Jurgen’s charm, sense of humour, and ability to connect with the people of Liverpool.
“I know Ruben speaks excellent English, which is a huge assistance right away. But everything else, the entire package, to mimic Jurgen, I believe, is extremely tough for anyone.”
‘No chance’ accusations surface about Liverpool target Amorim.
According to reports on Saturday morning, Sporting president Frederico Varandas is still hoping to persuade Amorim to stay, with his alleged €20 million exit clause providing some, albeit thin, security.
With his coach potentially going, nobody would protest if Sporting looked into plausible replacements. To that end, Varandas’ “only plan” is to keep Amorim next season and build on the 39-year-old’s impressive record at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
However, Pedro Sepulveda thinks there is “no chance” of this happening.
The acclaimed Portuguese journalist wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “No chance [he stays].” Amorim will depart Sporting at the end of the season.
“Amorim is number’s 1 target of Liverpool FC and he likes the project.”
When asked about Liverpool’s future post-Klopp, McManaman insisted that returning to Edwards would make a significant difference.
“That’s crucial because, as we all know, it all depends on how the club moves forward. Mikel Arteta will eventually leave Arsenal, and Pep will eventually depart City. These clubs will be aware of it well in advance, and it will then be a matter of putting in a new manager,” McManaman added.
“I think the fact that Liverpool has brought Michael [Edwards] back is fantastic.” They are also considering purchasing other football teams and establishing a football model type. So it’s extremely exciting times, even though the process will be arduous.”
