The Sporting Lisbon head coach is undecided on his future but he is now unlikely to replace David Moyes as West Ham boss this summer after holding talks in London on Monday
Ruben Amorim is set to turn down West Ham after flying into London for talks, while Liverpool’s interest in the Sporting Lisbon head coach remains on ice for now.
Amorim, 39, is undecided over his future despite being linked with a move to a host of top clubs across Europe this summer. He met with the Hammers hierarchy on Monday as they put plans in place for life after David Moyes, who is expected to depart when his contract expires in June.
But Amorim does not think a switch to London Stadium is the right fit despite West Ham ’s attempt to swoop in ahead of Liverpool. And while replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield remains possible, there is an increasing belief that Amorim could end up snubbing the Premier League altogether.
Since Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso ruled himself out of the running for the Liverpool job in March, he has been viewed as the Reds’ first choice to take over. It has been 12-and-a-half weeks since the German’s bombshell announcement that he would step down after almost a decade at Anfield.
But Amorim has also been linked with taking over from Xavi Hernandez at Barcelona, while Bayern Munich could still tempt him to Germany.
West Ham insist that they will wait until the end of the campaign before making a decision on Moyes’ future. But the Scot, who claimed in February that he was stalling on signing a new deal, is almost certain to depart after four seasons.
Since then West Ham have been knocked out of the Europa League and seen their chances of qualifying for that competition next season fade. Supporters have also begun to air their grievances with Moyes’ conservative style of play.
He turned on his own players following Sunday’s 5-2 defeat away to Crystal Palace, describing their performance as “so bad, I can hardly put it into words.”
West Ham host Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime as they cling on to hope of qualifying for Europe for a fourth consecutive season. They have also considered Julen Lopetegui, who walked out on Wolves on the eve of the Premier League season.
In 2021 Amorim guided Sporting to a first league title in 19 years and they currently sit seven points clear of neighbours Benfica.
Earlier this month he said that if Sporting were to fall short of the title, he would quit. But he has been non-committal with regards his summer plans, admitting: “I can’t guarantee [I’ll stay].
“I gave my word and I can’t go back on it. If we don’t win titles, I’ll leave Sporting. It was clear from the start, it was the bet I passed on to the players. We have to win titles.”