Ruben Amorim discussed his uncertain future at Sporting CP on Friday. The highly rated coach has been heavily linked with a potential move to Premier League side Liverpool this summer. The Merseyside club’s current manager, Jurgen Klopp, previously announced that he would be leaving the role at the end of the current campaign.
The moment Klopp made the announcement, Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso immediately became the frontrunner to succeed the German. Nevertheless, Alonso, a former Liverpool star, recently issued a public statement saying that he will remain with the German team next season.
The decision put a dent in Liverpool’s plans post-Klopp. Amorim, however, has quickly become a contingency for the Reds. The Portuguese coach finally addressed his future during a press conference on Friday. Amorim, unlike Alonso, refused to say that he would remain with Sporting beyond the summer.
“I can’t guarantee that I will stay at Sporting,” Amorim told reporters. “I gave my word, and I can’t go back on it. If we don’t win titles, I won’t stay at Sporting. We have to win more and more. Win titles first and then we’ll decide. The future has been being planned for a long time.”
Sporting is currently leading the Primeira Liga at the moment. The club, however, is just one point above rivals Benfica with eight matches remaining on the schedule. Interestingly enough, the two top teams in the league are set to face off on Saturday, April 6th in Lisbon.
Along with the league title to fight for, Sporting also has a Taça de Portugal Final to play as well. The Whites face either Porto or Vitoria for the trophy at the end of May. Porto currently holds a slim 1-0 lead in the two-legged affair thanks to a lone goal from Pepe. The competition is the premier knockout tournament in Portugal.
While Amorim claims that he must win trophies to remain at his current club, he has already collected silverware with Sporting. The young coach guided the team to the Primeira Liga title in 2021, as well as back-to-back Taça da Liga triumphs in 2021 and 2022.
Sporting supporters were likely looking for their highly rated manager to make similar remarks as Alonso. Nevertheless, this did not happen. Instead, Amorim’s comments certainly appear as if he is leaving the door open to take the Liverpool job.
British soccer journalist David Ornstein recently claimed that conversations between Amorim and Liverpool have already happened. News that Barcelona has dropped out of the sweepstakes to sign the Sporting coach only strengthens Liverpool’s position.
Although the Portuguese coach did not exactly come out and say he was departing, he was not exactly reassuring to his current club. The manager seemed to straddle the fence between not letting Sporting fans down, while also hinting at interest elsewhere.
Amorim also attempted to be careful with his words due to the massive match at the weekend. Coaches know that what they say, particularly if it is major news, can negatively affect the team and the fans. The winner of the matchup with Benfica will take control of the league.
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