A crazy release clause will not put Liverpool off appointing a manager who Pep Guardiola thinks highly of, a new report from abroad has indicated.
The news that Jurgen Klopp is leaving his job as Reds boss at the end of the season has sent shock waves across the football world, at a time when he was generally expected to at least stay until his contract expiry date of 2026.
The German’s exit is going to hit Liverpool hard considering he is one of the most influential people in the club’s great history, winning huge trophies while being adored by supporters.
The Reds have to accept that they are going to face life without Klopp later this year, and the importance of nailing his successor cannot be downplayed.
Xabi Alonso has arguably emerged as the favourite to take over in the summer, having been a hugely popular player at Anfield and now shining in management with Bayer Leverkusen.
He certainly won’t be the only option to come in, though, with Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann potentially in the running, too. Now, another name has been thrown into the hat, as Liverpool work hard on finding Klopp’s replacement.
According to Correio de Manha [via Sport Witness], Liverpool won’t be put off by the £17m release clause that exists in Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim’s deal, seeing him as an option to replace Klopp with. That clause is among the highest in the history of the game, with Graham Potter topping the pile with a £19.6m fee prior to joining Chelsea.
It reportedly “won’t be an impediment” for the Reds, with the 39-year-old believed to be “ready for higher goals” in his career. The idea of a move to the Premier League appeals to him.
Amorim is arguably one of Europe’s most exciting young managers at the moment, so it is only natural that he is seen as a contender for the Liverpool job. He is someone who is admired by Manchester City boss Guardiola, who has said of him and his Sporting team in the past:
“A year ago we won by five in Lisbon at this stage of the Champions League and they said ‘how bad Sporting is’. What a poor team. They had won the league. From my point of view, their coach is one of the best at the moment.
“His team, it was very, very good. Do you know what happened there? Five opportunities, five shots, five goals. It was 100%. How good is the coach, huh?”
Amorim has built up a winning mentality at Sporting, winning three Portuguese League Cups and one Primeira Liga title, and at just 39, he would represent a long-term appointment.
Ultimately, the decision rests with FSG, and the truth is that whoever comes in is going to have one of the hardest managerial jobs in many years, trying to replace a truly iconic figure in Klopp.
