Ruben Amorim is now understood to be an unlikely appointment at Liverpool, which leaves the Reds’ decision-makers in a bit of a selection pickle.
David Ornstein now reports that the 39-year-old remains ‘in the conversation’ for the Merseysiders nonetheless.
“My information is that a move by Liverpool for Amorim is now regarded as unlikely. That will come as a surprise to many who thought that he might have been nailed on because of the reports that have emerged, particularly in Portugal, but those reports were not replicated over here,” the Athletic reporter spoke on The Daily Football Briefing podcast.
“Our information has always been that yes, Ruben Amorim is in the conversation for Liverpool, but he’s not a shoo-in. They are running a thorough and methodical process that is considering a number of candidates to fit what they want in terms of the profile and the key criteria.
“They won’t be afraid to be brave and bold in their own decision. It might not be a populist choice right now. It would seem that that might not be Amorim. In terms of whether it will be West Ham, we just cannot say at this point in time. But certainly, it’s a development that not many people saw coming.”
Reports surfacing from Portugal now suggest West Ham are out of the race for the Sporting Lisbon boss’ signature.
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‘It might not be a populist choice right now’
It’s an interesting way to discuss the situation facing Liverpool’s decision-makers, isn’t it?
There are a number of ways we could understand this. Do we, one, consider that Richard Hughes is considering a stop-gap solution until we can bring in our first-choice? Or is it merely the case that the “best” option available after Jurgen Klopp simply isn’t the most obvious (or popular).
Could that open the door for a candidate like Jose Mourinho? Or Girona’s Michel Sanchez? Only time will tell on that front.