Ruben Amorim has returned to Portugal after teasing West Ham with a meeting on Monday that has been described by a local journalist as ‘not positive’.
‘Something went wrong. The plane that took Rúben Amorim to London this afternoon is already returning to Lisbon. The coach who is still negotiating with @LFC and met @WestHam for the first time today is back in Lisbon. The meeting was not positive,’ was the tweet from Pedro Sepúlveda on Monday evening.
Amorim to Liverpool talks are ‘on stand-by’
It would be quite the coup if West Ham managed to upgrade from David Moyes to Sporting manager Amorim, on the cusp of winning the Portuguese title and a reported target of Liverpool after Xabi Alonso opted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.
The Hammers are very unlikely to be competing in Europe next season after exiting the Europa League to the German champions last week.
But at least the prospect of replacing Moyes at West Ham is not a daunting one compared to the prospect of replacing Klopp at Liverpool.
David Ornstein suggested on Monday that Amorim taking over at Liverpool was now ‘unlikely’, though he remains the favourite with the bookmakers ahead of Arne Slot.
But Fabrizio Romano has not cast such a negative tone, tweeting on Tuesday morning: ‘Ruben Amorim returned to Portugal after meeting West Ham board in London on Monday.
‘West Ham presented their project and will insist for Amorim; nothing done yet, while discussions with Liverpool are on stand-by.
‘Amorim will discuss his future steps with his agents.’
Amorim refused to discuss his London trip when he arrived back in Portugal, telling reporters: “See you Saturday.”
If Liverpool do not lure Amorim then who next? Jamie Carragher believes there is one stand-out candidate, saying on X: ‘Richard Hughes wanted De Zerbi at Bournemouth, so he must be the favourite if this is true. Ornstein doesn’t get much wrong tbf!’
But De Zerbi’s Brighton have slumped to 10th in the Premier League, winning only one of their last seven games.
West Ham have also slumped to eighth and it has become increasingly unlikely that Moyes will get a new contract this summer.
Amorim would be an ambitious appointment, with Graham Potter, Michael Carrick or Julen Lopetegui surely more likely candidates.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
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