Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has emerged as a potential candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp as the next Liverpool manager.
Klopp’s surprise announcement on Friday marked the end of his nine-year tenure at the club, citing fatigue as his reason for stepping down at the end of the season.
Klopp’s trusted assistants Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, along with elite development coach Vitor Matos, are also set to depart at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
The departure of these key figures signals the end of an era for Liverpool, sparking anticipation and speculation about the future for both Klopp and the team he has guided for almost a decade.
Several managers have been linked with the Liverpool job, and according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, Amorim is now a target for the Reds to replace Klopp.
Liverpool would need to pay Sporting €20 million (£17 million) to bring the 39-year-old to Anfield.
Amorim, who retired from playing with Benfica in 2017, began his coaching career with Portuguese top-flight club Casa Pia in 2018 before taking on the role of ‘B’ team manager at Braga.
In 2019, he was promoted to the position of senior team head coach and, a year later, assumed the managerial role at Sporting in March 2020.
Over nearly four years at Sporting, Amorim secured one Portuguese top-division title in his first full season (2020/21).
Subsequently, he led Sporting to second and fourth-place finishes in the last two seasons, earning qualification for the Champions League twice.
Currently, Sporting are at the top of Liga Portugal after 18 games, one point ahead of leaders Benfica.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is being considered as the frontrunner to take over from Klopp, as reported by The Athletic.
Alonso previously spent five successful years at Anfield as a player between 2004 and 2009, during which he secured victories in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Following his time with Liverpool, the World Cup winner played for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He returned to the Bundesliga in October 2022 to assume his first senior managerial role as the head coach at Bayer Leverkusen.
Under Alonso’s guidance, Leverkusen have become a formidable team in Germany, currently leading the Bundesliga. They are unbeaten in 18 matches and hold a one-point advantage over Bayern Munich who have played a game more.
Although Alonso signed a new contract with Leverkusen in the summer, which is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, it is understood that he reached a gentleman’s agreement with the club’s hierarchy, allowing him to depart for a top club like Liverpool.
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