Liverpool have appeared to make significant ground in their reported pursuit of Ruben Amorim, judging by one update from a trusted Portuguese source.
On Monday, Pedro Sepulveda tweeted that the Reds have offered a three-year contract to the 39-year-old, for whom financial terms are ‘almost agreed’.
The Daily Mail‘s Lewis Steele has subsequently shared further insight on the Sporting Lisbon manager, having travelled to Portugal to witness him in action during their 2-1 win over arch-rivals Benfica at the weekend.
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After the game, the journalist spoke with some fans of the Verde e Brancos who left him in no doubt as to their adoration of Amorim.
One supporter gushed: “Ruben is our GOAT (greatest of all time) as a coach. That’s it, attacking football, but his personality and the way he speaks and organises his speech is the best thing about him. I’m going to miss him very much.” Another fan testimony was succinct yet powerful: “He made our people happy.”
It was Jurgen Klopp who said that the important thing for a manager isn’t what the fans think when they come into a club, but rather when they leave.
It’s clear from the testimonies of those Sporting supporters that Amorim has earned a special place in their hearts, having taken the job in March 2020 amid plenty of scepticism during a horrendous season for the club.
To use another Kloppism, he’s turned doubters into believers in Lisbon, with one league title already secured and another likely to follow soon after that mammoth win over their local rivals in second.
The endorsement of Amorim as a coach who combines an attacking philosophy with a genial personality is bound to resonate very well with Liverpool supporters, along with the declaration of how he’s brought great joy to his current club’s fan base.
There are enough examples in football to illustrate that managers who enjoy huge success at one club may subsequently fail at another, but the insight from those who follow Sporting each week suggests that we’d be getting a very good Klopp successor in the deified 39-year-old if he comes to Anfield in the summer.