West Ham United are keen on Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
The Hammers plan to part ways with David Moyes in the summer, with an acceptance within the club that a change is needed. A final decision has not been made on the Scotsman, whose future plunged further into doubt following West Ham’s 5-2 defeat to London rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Sunday. They have four games left and could still decide to persist with the 61-year-old if he by hook or by crook secures European football for the fourth successive campaign.
But Tim Steidten, the West Ham technical director, has reached out to representatives of various managers. The East London club have reportedly held talks with Ruben Amorim, who has been heavily linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. They would find it difficult to beat Liverpool to Amorim, however, earlier on Tuesday speculation involving the Merseyside club and Feyenoord manager Arne Slot intensified massively.
West Ham officials meet Ruben Amorim
Liverpool were expected to be Amorim’s next destination, though it is now understood that Arne Slot is the frontrunner to succeed Klopp at Anfield. In an unexpected turn of events, the Portuguese tactician flew to London at the start of the week and held talks with West Ham officials.
One of the highly-rated young managers in Europe, Amorim, 39, has proven his quality with SC Braga and Sporting CP. He has won four trophies with Sporting CP, including the Primeira Liga in the 2020-21 campaign. The 39-year-old would certainly have ambitions to compete with the best managers in the Premier League.
Given West Ham have competed in Europe in recent years under Moyes, there is obvious scope for improvement for whoever becomes their next manager—assuming that the club are now not enthusiastic about offering the Scottish manager a contract extension. Moyes’ days at the London Stadium look numbered after the abject 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace.
It will be interesting to see whether West Ham can persuade Amorim to take the job. They like the Lisbon-born manager’s profile and his work at Sporting and view his experience in European competitions as a significant factor. The 39-year-old will be an exciting choice to replace the under-fire Moyes should he jump ship from Sporting, although any concrete decision might only be taken at the end of the season.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.