“I have to be honest” “I fly to London to talk to clubs like Chelsea” – 39-years-old manager refuses to rule out Chelsea talks to replace Pochettino at Stamford Bridge
Ruben Amorim, the manager of Sporting Lisbon, has declined to deny rumors that he has discussed taking over as Chelsea’s manager in place of Mauricio Pochettino.
Amorim has been in the news lately due to his association with three Premier League management positions.
Before Feyenoord’s Arne Slot became the clear favorite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, the 39-year-old was thought to be a target for Liverpool.
Then, Amorim was mentioned as a possible successor to West Ham manager David Moyes, whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
After flying to London to reportedly hold talks with the Hammers, Amorim issued a public apology to Sporting fans for making the trip with the club on the brink of winning the Primeira Liga title
Further speculation suggested that Chelsea, rather than West Ham, paid for Amorim to travel to the English capital and hold talks with Chelsea.
The Blues have since denied reports they held discussions with Amorim over the prospect of replacing Pochettino, who has seen his position come under scrutiny in recent times.
Amorim has refused to rule out the idea that he spoke with Chelsea, but stopped short of disclosing the reason behind his trip to London.
When asked about the rumours, Amorim told reporters: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. You’ve already created your theories. I don’t have any problems. You stick with your ideas. I’m not going to say why [I went to London].
“I have already told those people who need to know, especially [sporting director] Hugo Viana. I’ll continue forward. I saw that [Vitoria boss] Alvaro [Pacheco] has also had problems with a dinner recently!”
“I guess it’s fashionable to talk about coaches, or talk about clubs that fire coaches and then the next day you link another one.”
Amorim was commenting on the situation regarding Vitoria de Guimaraes boss Alvaro Pacheco, who spoke to Brazilian side Cuiaba before turning down their offer and insisting he had no intention of leaving his current club.
Despite the speculation surrounding his future, Amorim has said he remains focused on his work with the Portuguese giants.
Amorim added: “I try to be honest with you, but then there are soap operas created saying that I offer myself to other clubs – which is actually funny to see. I try to be sincere with everyone. There are situations in which we try to leave through the front door, and not go through things we have already gone through again.
“There are also things to think about like if I want to change my life, the age of my children etcetera. I try to be as transparent as possible here. But I guarantee you [when I leave] it will be much more boring.
“What the fans can expect from me until then is the same as always. I love this club, I always do my best for the club and that will continue. I have a contract and I will continue to coach Sporting.”
Amorim was speaking ahead of Saturday’s home game against Portimonense, with Sporting looking to claim a win that could secure them the league title if Benfica fail to beat Famalicao on Sunday.