"I believe he is the perfect choice" - Pundit urges Liverpool to appoint 39-year-old boss as manager ahead of Xabi Alonso
Former Premier League midfielder turned television pundit Nigel Reo-Coker has urged Liverpool to appoint Ruben Amorim ahead of Xabi Alonso as their next manager. The Reds face the daunting task of replacing Jurgen Klopp in the summer, with the German having announced his surprise decision to step down as manager in January.
A host of managers have been named as potential successors to the managerial great at Anfield. However, former Liverpool midfielder Alonso has been named the favourite for the job following his stellar showing as Bayer Leverkusen's manager.
Several other managers have also been named as candidates for the soon-to-be vacant Anfield hot seat, including Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim.
Nigel Reo-Coker has claimed that the Portuguese manager would be the perfect manager for the Merseyside club. The former Aston Villa and West Ham United midfielder has highlighted how well Amorim has done at Sporting in terms of developing young players.
He said, as quoted by The Boot Room:
“I state my case for Ruben Amorim. For me the Sporting manager is a fantastic candidate because he has a history of working with young players and developing them. That is the history of Sporting. He has a win percentage of 69%, before at Braga it was 73%. Klopp’s at Liverpool is 63%. I believe he is the perfect choice."
Xabi Alonso has made a name for himself pretty quickly since taking over his first full managerial job at Bayer Leverkusen after managing Real Madrid under-14s and Real Sociedad B. In his first full season with the German side, he is unbeaten across all competitions and looks poised to beat Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.
Amorim, on the other hand, is slightly more experienced as a manager having started his managerial career in 2018 with Casa Pia. He has since managed Braga B, Braga and has been in charge of Sporting since 2020.
Amorim has already won five trophies as a manager including one Primeira Liga title with Sporting. His Sporting side are currently top of the Primeira Liga table this season with a one-point lead over Benfica with a game in hand.
Liverpool keen on Real Madrid star valued at £86 million: Reports
Liverpool are reportedly monitoring the situation of Real Madrid star attacker Rodrygo ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window. The Brazil international is among the players whose future at the Santiago Bernabeu could be up in the air with Kylian Mbappe poised to join in the summer on a free transfer.
It has been claimed that Los Blancos could cash in on the versatile attacker to make room for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar. Liverpool are looking to take advantage of the situation and are reportedly preparing a move for their long-term target.
The Reds are understood to have already enquired about the 23-year-old as they look to refresh their attack. Luis Diaz has been linked with a switch to PSG while Mohamed Salah is 31 now and is set to enter the final year of his deal.
Liverpool could face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United for the signature of Rodrygo. The Brazilian joined the Spanish capital club in 2019 from Santos in a deal worth a reported €45 million and has won nine trophies. He has so far made 206 appearances for Real Madrid scoring 50 goals and providing 40 assists.