Exclusive: Liverpool do really like ‘remarkable’ manager who Mikel Arteta has raved about before

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Liverpool are big fans of Sporting manager Ruben Amorim as they search for the right man to replace Jurgen Klopp.

Amorim has so far been put forward as a potential alternative to reported top target Xabi Alonso. And speaking exclusively to RTK, journalist Graeme Bailey has confirmed that the 39-year-old is a coach Liverpool ‘like’.

“From my understanding obviously they’ve done the due diligence anyway,” explains Bailey. “They already had an idea, it’s one of those lists that gets kept up to date in emergencies. Crack the panel and let’s see what’s in it. It’s a live list. It’s one that’s alive where it can always change.

“We had a similar thing at City when they were about to replace Guardiola two or three years ago. Brendan Rogers was top of the list then, it’s an organic list. I think with Liverpool, they were keeping an eye on Alonso’s situation since before he went to Bayer Leverkusen, it’s not a shock. The same as they were going to keep an eye on Steven Gerrard and all the former players and all the best ones around Europe.

“I’m told that Ruben Amorim at Sporting Lisbon is one they like. Just generally, everyone you would expect Liverpool to be keeping an eye on, they are aware of.

“But clearly Xabi Alonso ticks a lot of the boxes in terms of style of play because I think Liverpool are playing that sort of system, that style of play. They will not want to get away from how they play. So, someone coming in, they’re not going to be a Mourinho, a Diego Simeone. That is not the next type of manager coming into Anfield, we know that.”

Liverpool keeping tabs on Amorim

As Bailey explains, Liverpool are smart cookies with these kinds of things. Although everyone was caught off guard by Klopp’s decision to leave, they’ll have been aware of any candidates to replace him, too.

There has been talk for months that they’re keeping a close watch over Alonso’s progress at Leverkusen.

Long before they knew they’d be needing someone to take over as soon as this year, their former midfielder has reportedly been on the radar.

And if Alonso had already been eyed up, then you can safely say that Amorim had too.

Unlike Xabi, the Sporting manager has already lifted trophies as a manager. Three years the Spaniard’s junior, Amorim has a league title win with an unfancied team on his CV. That’s something that would have pricked up the ears of Liverpool.

So too, may have Mikel Arteta’s words about Amorim last year. Sporting actually knocked Arteta’s much heralded Arsenal side out of the Europa League in 2022/23.

And speaking after the first-leg of that game – a 2-2 draw in Lisbon – the Premier League coach raved about Amorim.

“What I said before the game is that I really like him,” Arteta said via arsenal.com. “I think what he and the coaches have done over the last few years is remarkable and they are a really good team, so obviously credit to the manager because you can see that he has a really clear idea.”

Clear ideas and ethos will certainly appeal to the decision makers at FSG. Alonso still looks like being the runaway first choice. But don’t rule out Ruben just yet.