Why Liverpool let Rúben Amorim go as details on Arne Slot’s signing become clearer
Arne Slot, the current Feyenoord manager, is expected to be named Liverpool’s next head coach. At one point, nevertheless, the front-runner was Rúben Amorim.
The hunt for a new coach at Liverpool is almost over. Although Arne Slot, the current Feyenoord manager, hasn’t been named the Reds’ new coach formally, there’s a common consensus that it’s only a matter of time and that the announcement could occur at the end of the current campaign.
Given his legendary legacy at Liverpool and his outstanding work at Bayer Leverkusen, where the team is currently undefeated and has the potential to accomplish a historic triple, Xabi Alonso seemed the clear favourite to succeed Klopp right away.
To build on this season’s success and see where he can lead this team, Alonso has stated that he plans to remain in Leverkusen for another season. Then Liverpool turned their attention to Sporting CP manager Rúben Amorim, who became the new favourite as the ties got stronger.
For Liverpool, finding a replacement for Jürgen Klopp has not been simple.
Prior to the upcoming season, Amorim took a plane to London to negotiate with West Ham about David Moyes’ possible successor. Some saw this as a means of forcing Liverpool to sign him, but ultimately, the strategy didn’t seem to work as Slot became the clear favourite and appeared to have won the race to succeed Klopp.
Football Insider claims that Liverpool distanced itself from Amorim because the team believed his preferred tactical scheme, a 3-4-3 formation, was incompatible with the players the Reds currently have and that the Portuguese coach was unwilling to switch to a more Liverpool-friendly 4-3-3 formation.
In the nine years that Klopp has been in charge, Liverpool has been predominantly built for a 4-3-3, and the players in the team reflect that, with the exception of the occasional switch to a 4-2-3-1. Football Insider also reports that there won’t be a significant roster overhaul this summer, with Slot likely to make most of his decisions with the current group in the event that players depart.
At the moment, Sporting leads Primeira Liga by five points over Benfica. Under Slot, Feyenoord is nine points behind PSV, the clear leaders in the Eredivisie. The Dutch team is ranked second. According to Football Insider, Liverpool will spend about $12.5 million (£10 million/€11 million) to get Slot for Anfield before the upcoming campaign.
According to Liverpool.com, it makes sense for the team to turn its attention to other targets if Amorim was too committed to a 3-4-3 system and wasn’t ready to adapt. Given that Liverpool’s roster is designed to play a 4-3-3, it makes sense to appoint a coach who shares that style of play in order to optimise the team’s talent. Additionally, because Liverpool is so close to winning the league this year, the foundation of a very strong team is already in place. The Reds’ choice to part ways with Amorim does suggest that they will adopt a similar strategy under Slot, which will undoubtedly influence the summer transfer window.